Pep Guardiola and Manchester City players looked extremely worried during the halftime break of last year’s Champions League Final against Inter: ‘The way you feel is normal,’ said the Spanish coach at halftime.
Netflix released the documentary ‘Together: Treble Winners’ on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. It shows what happened behind the scenes of Manchester City’s treble-winning campaign, including part of Guardiola’s halftime speech during a Champions League Final against Inter.
The Premier League giants were favourites to win the cup with the big ears, but the Nerazzurri had several chances to score in the first and second half and they lost the Final 1-0 with plenty of regrets.
The first half ended in a 0-0 draw and Manchester City players looked discouraged inside the dressing room.
“Guys, you are exceptional players, right? It’s the Champions League Final, the way you feel is normal, yes?” Guardiola said during the break.
“But we don’t give up and we go, go go. That’s who we are, ok? We’re going to adjust one or two things, and it’ll be much more effective. You will see. We are playing just a little bit anxious. Calm, calm. I understand it.”
The Spanish tactician spoke directly to his compatriot Rodri who would go on to score the winner in the second half.
“Rodri, you are an exceptional player. You are here, it doesn’t matter if you play sh**. Overcome that, heads up, and play, play, play,” said Pep.
“You lose the ball? Anyone can do it. We are going to move on. Keep going, keep going, we’ll find the momentum. We cannot change and stick to the program.”
Guardiola’s dressing room speech continued with some tactical guidance for his players, which eventually contributed to a 1-0 victory in Istanbul.
Guardiola expected a tough Final against Inter as he explained in the first part of the final episode when he spoke about the Nerazzurri and the development of Italian football, mentioning Napoli and Milan as well.