Manchester City Carve Out A Treble Legacy with Triumph Over Inter Milan

This wasn’t the fanfare of fireworks anticipated, rather a hard-earned grunt. Yet, it was all so ineluctable for Manchester City, the champions of England, who now command Europe’s respect, achieving a treble that adds a final flourish to the long-term vision from Abu Dhabi. The 1-0 victory over Internazionale does more than spell relief – it hints at a succession of future victories that may validate Pep Guardiola as the master of the managerial game.

Already, the illustrious Catalan basks in the claim of being one of the greatest, having bagged his third Champions League title, a dozen years after his second, making history by becoming the first coach to claim two trebles with different clubs.

Trepidation and Triumph – The Contrasts of Victory

City’s encounter with the tenacious and determined Inter Milan required a display of true grit, an uncharacteristic sight for a team that has spent the past three months painting the picture of football perfection.

Rodri, the model of a Guardiola midfielder, embodied this unorthodox victory, scoring the decisive goal that will reverberate in City’s lore just as Aguero’s 2012 strike does. This pivotal moment allowed Guardiola to raise high the coveted trophy, marking his fourth such honour as both a player and a manager.

From the stands, Sheikh Mansour, the owner and the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, experienced his second in-person match, sitting amongst the club’s top brass. Hence, Abu Dhabi has its European Cup.

Not only is Mansour at the final, it looks like his brother, the ruler of the UAE, Mohamed bin Zayed, is there with him too. But of course City is not owned by the UAE but is a private investment of Sheikh Mansour. Nice of Mansour to get his big brother a ticket. pic.twitter.com/oFJEbDvyaK

— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) June 10, 2023

A Watershed Moment – State-Owned Triumph

With City’s victory, we witness a state-owned club being crowned champions of Europe, sparking broader discussions about the direction of football. The supremacy of City, Guardiola’s presence, and the game’s transformation cannot be disconnected from this momentous evolution.

The only real shock in this match against European titans like Inter Milan was that City fell short of delivering a performance commensurate with their incredible accomplishment. This isn’t a reprise of 2011 or 1960. It is the future, however, manifested in a subdued performance from a 20-year-old Erling Haaland.

Bitter-Sweet Moments

One poignant aspect of City’s triumph was the absence of Kevin De Bruyne’s brilliance, sidelined by injury. The City players deserve credit for their tenacity, as they brushed aside potential distractions of nerves and the weight of history to claim their moment.

The margin of victory might have been slim, but City were just better. They dug deep, they found more, and they dominated. The potency of Rodri’s goal, a manifestation of the exquisite football often associated with Guardiola’s side, was a fitting testament to this fact.

Inter Milan and their manager, Simone Inzaghi, deserve acknowledgement for their role in making this seemingly one-sided final a true contest. Despite coming up short, they leave with a feeling of missed opportunities and a taste of what could have been.

A Treble-Laden Future?

The question of Manchester City’s alleged breaches of their domestic competition’s regulations hovers like a spectre over their European success. However, the certainty of their team’s prowess and the completeness of their project cannot be denied.

Approaching five & a half hours of @btsport of CL final, interviewing Haaland, ZERO mention this City team is built on unprecedented state apparatus investment and 115 charges pending, for alleged financial cheating, after 2 previous convictions. Fairytale

— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) June 10, 2023

They have finally scaled the heights, becoming the 23rd club to win this competition but the first state club. The outcome of this competition, though fraught with uncertainty at times, always seemed inevitable. City’s victory is a milestone, a testament to their treble, and an indication of an even brighter future.