I intend to defend myself longer than ever.” – Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola Lamentation after rallying against Man City’s 115 FFP charges

Together, Manchester City’s new documentary, tells the story of the Blues’ treble-winning season, including how the players felt when the Premier League charged the club 115 times for supposed Financial Fair Play violations.

After a rough stretch of form, Pep Guardiola used Manchester City’s 115 Premier League charges to make his team feel like they were under siege.

City’s new behind-the-scenes video shows how the players reacted when they heard that the Premier League had charged the club with 115 offenses against Financial Fair Play rules. Guardiola tried to improve City’s play at the beginning of 2023, but the video shows that they were still not sure they wanted to win the Premier League again.

City got back on track after a rough patch in January and February to race to a record treble. And the video shows an important scene before the home win against Aston Villa, which was the first game after the charges were made public. Guardiola made a key change before the game to take advantage of the Premier League charges.

The video doesn’t shed much new light on City’s point of view. Their statement from the time—that they want an independent review of the evidence to clear their name—was played again, and a clip of Guardiola’s confident press conference a few days later—in which he said he would not step down as manager—was shown.

But Guardiola groups his whole team and backroom staff in a circle around him in the locker room before the Villa game to give them a look inside the locker room.

City had just lost to Tottenham. Before that, the boss had scolded his players for being bad in a string of games. After hearing about the charges in the Premier League, Guardiola told his players to hold a pre-game meeting on the field and then gave them a rousing cry.

“I have to talk to you. “Come here,” he said. “First, every game tonight and every game after that when we are all together before the game starts.” The players hug each other in the middle circle, between the judge and the other team. And someone, it doesn’t matter who it is, starts to count to three and say in their eyes that we are going to win every game, or at least try.

“Secondly, I enjoy this club a lot. Do not tell me why. They helped me a lot, especially when things were bad. Let me have my troops. You guys are going to support me no matter what. Friends, I want to fight this Premier League. More than ever, I want to fight this Premier League. Attack everyone and protect everyone. Guys, every single thing we’ve won has happened on the field. I enjoy the club a lot. Also, I love you. “Let’s leave.”

It took City until they won the league title to lose again. They won 14 of their next 15 games. The huddles before games kept happening all season and into this season. City says they are not guilty of the charges.