The Netflix series takes you off the pitch into what made Pep Guardiola’s staff and players tick on the way to Treble success in 2022/23.
Each episode has taken us further and further into the campaign, with the series eventually culminating in that historic night in Istanbul.
As part of the production process, City Studios spoke to many of the first team players who were at the heart of the triumph.
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The final episode focuses entirely on the Champions League final.
We start with training in Manchester, as Pep Guardiola is telling his players how he expects Inter to play.
He spoke to us after the end of the season about his preparations that week.
Pep Guardiola: People think in Italy, it’s just defensive but Inter was not like that. Today in Italian football it is not like that, Napoli is not like that or Milan, for example. Inter defend really well, of course five in the back and the structure but they play really good.
They have patterns which are so difficult to control because it’s so difficult it’s not really, really easy to do what we have to do with them and they have a good, really good goalkeeper with the feet. I was less concerned about how we could attack them but more that how we could avoid what they do.
The players knew it. They were shown enough clips and I know they follow me, they believe me what I said because I don’t lie to them. The team we are going to face, what is going to happen and the motion of the final of the Champions League.
It’s one of the best teams of Europe with a manager and the process, the patterns are really, really good and we knew it. We knew it would be so difficult, not just for the fact they defend, they are Italian teams.
City trained in the Ataturk Stadium the day before the final, with several in attendance remarking how relaxed the players and coaching staff appeared to be.
Pep Guardiola: We tried to go there, and not enjoy because enjoy is not a word for finals, but with a normal routine.
Compared to 2021, we had different preparation, the training session was completely different, and even myself was more relaxed and I visualised the team better. Exhausted but better.
We had Premier League, FA Cup in the pocket. So that’s why I always said, okay, the season has been already exceptional. Something unique
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Guardiola also revealed his team selection to the players the day before the game.
In a meeting at the hotel, the boss called all of the backroom staff in to join his squad.
There he paid particular thanks to the staff who would be leaving at the end of the season, including chef Jorge Gutierrez.
Pep Guardiola: Sometimes I give the line-up the day before, two days before, sometimes the day of the game, sometimes in the morning, sometimes before we leave the hotel to the stadium. It depends how many things you have clear, it depends on the vibe.
But of course, for this game we travel all together with the staff and make it feel that every person is part of that. It’s not just the players who win the Champions League. The physios, doctors and everyone, the cook, people from the kitchen so everyone was really important.
I think we shared the good moments so before the game we were relaxed, in a good hotel and prepared for the final.
Kyle Walker was not named in the starting XI for the final, but still stepped up to deliver the pre-match team talk just a few minutes before kick-off.
Pep Guardiola: Few players, few players like I met can do that so. Everybody knows how many games are going to play the final Champions League - not much. Maybe it’s the last chance in our lives to play the final Champions League because rarely you play the final and he’s already a father figure for us for his presence in the room. He’s not playing but made a speech for us. It was really important to realise what it meant to win for everyone, so I appreciated it so much. I will never forget.
At the stadium ahead of the game, City legends Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho spent time with Guardiola.
The boss was keen to thank them for their pivotal roles in growing the Club to this level.
Pep Guardiola: You have to lose in Lisbon, you have to lose against Tottenham in the last moments after a disallowed goal and many other difficult circumstances. You have to live that to arrive in that moment. It happened at all the big clubs. It happened to us. It’s normal.
These players help us to build up the process. Sergio scored the most important goal ever in the last maybe 20-30 years. Of course Fernandinho the connection that we have when we was here was massive. He was a really important player in important games and yeah, it was so nice. It was so nice. So nice to have them there. So nice.
City struggled to break down Inter in the first half and the players appear anxious in the dressing room at the break.
Guardiola delivered an inspirational and informative team talk that details exactly what we need to do to stretch the Italian side.
Pep Guardiola: Emotion is so important in the finals. The big personalities, the characters and the people will say doesn’t matter what happen I will do my game. This makes the difference. That is important. The game plan was already done for many years because we play against that one team that defend this way in the Premier League, we knew exactly what we have to do. So we talked about that in two or three days. But how you approach the moment in the half-time, how you overcome. It’s not a perfect first half but it’s happened, the people are human beings, they have the desire to do well, to achieve it, to win it, to lift it.
As much as they put a lot of pressure on themselves and live that balance, they have to have the right tension to play the final but at the same time being a little bit relaxed helped us. I had the feeling if this club, or this generation of players play another final, they will play better. I’m not saying they will play, they going eo win, but they will play more.
I remember the final against Chelsea at the half time I was more aggressive with some players and it didn’t work. In the finals, there is not one player that doesn’t want to win it and do it well. And in that moment we have 45 minutes, maybe extra time, so stick with what we had, had to adjust something we do it.
Rodrigo’s goal midway through the second half makes the difference. Ederson makes several saves in the closing stages and City win the Champions League for the first time in our history.
The players fall to their knees, weep uncontrollably and celebrate with the fans. Guardiola does the rounds to make the most of every moment with his squad.
He reserves a special hug for Kevin De Bruyne, who was substituted through injury during the game.
Pep Guardiola: From when I joined, the only player that is still here now is Kevin. And Kevin felt so disappointed that we had these many years lost in those moments.. Always with Kevin, we tried to talk a lot, I talk a lot the days before and I said, Kevin, we need you. So we need the best version of you.
We didn’t have it against Chelsea. We didn’t have it in Madrid the second leg in 2022, we have it here in Madrid in the second leg. And I said to him, I need you. We need you.
If you perform like you are and be active and be aggressive with and without the ball, we are going to take it. And he was playing really good.
I think Kevin was playing one of the best finals we have played together since we are here and unfortunately again the injury stopped him. But I was I was especially happy for the few minutes he played. He played his highest level.
With an historic Treble complete, Guardiola has at that moment won 14 major honours with City.
He is only the manager ever to win two European Trebles, having previously done so with Barcelona in 2008/09.
With the dust settled, he reflected on the achievement.
Pep Guardiola: Imagine now you’re starting the season to win a Treble? I didn’t imagine last season I cannot imagine right now. Every year is tougher and tougher. That’s why of course we will remember and for our people, I’m pretty sure we’ll be remembered, that is so nice.
In many years to come we’ll come back here and the people will say how nice it was the years we were together or the Treble we did? There’s no more satisfaction than that. To be part of the memories and the hearts of the people. This is when you have done something unique.
The rest of the Oral Histories are available to read here.
You can watch all six episodes of Together: Treble Winners on Netflix now.
