Manchester City's Premier League away win over Arsenal made the squad believe they were ready to kick-on and realise their treble ambitions.
After an inconsistent start to the season, including mixed results either side of the World Cup break, City were at risk of getting cut adrift from Premier League leaders Arsenal. However, after knocking the Gunners out of the FA Cup, City travelled to the Emirates Stadium in February and came away with a 3-1 win to keep themselves in title contention.
City had lost at Tottenham a week earlier, but would embark on a 25-game unbeaten run in all competitions after that to win the Premier League, as well as reaching the FA Cup and Champions League finals.
Until that point, City's longest winning run was six games between September and October, and then four games a month later. However, after the World Cup, City couldn't go past three wins in a row before suffering a setback. So the all-important win at Arsenal not only put City back on track in the league, but also gave them belief that they can compete with the best to win the trophies they craved.
ALSO READ: Man City get Kyle Walker fitness boost as 23-man Champions League final squad confirmed
“This has been a difficult season, because 90 per cent of the season, to start with, we were always behind Arsenal and we couldn’t win four or five matches in a row,” Bernardo Silva explained.
“So we couldn’t get that momentum of confidence, of thinking: okay, now we’re unstoppable. Because, when you start winning five, six, seven matches in a row, you get that feeling that you’re unstoppable. And it’s difficult to stop a team when they have this feeling.
“Any team, not just us. And this past year, it was always like, one, two, three matches and then we’d draw or lose. That ended up creating a feeling of lack of confidence within the team.
“And I think, especially after the World Cup, there was a moment of reflection, and even after coming back at first, those first games weren’t easy, but the away win over Arsenal was very important.”
Expanding on why that win was so important, Bernardo also pointed towards the week in April when City knocked Bayern Munich out of the Champions League, reached the FA Cup final, and demolished Arsenal at the Etihad to put the Premier League title race in their own hands.
“It made us believe again that we can win important matches,” he said of the Emirates win. “And in the moment that we won over Arsenal at home, it was approximately at the same time when we knocked out Bayern Munich from the Champions League, it ended up being a very important moment.
“Because we got first place in the Premier League and got to the semi-finals by eliminating one of the best teams in the world. And so we got to the last month of the season, knowing it would be very difficult, but we thought: ‘We’re fighting for all of these trophies, except for the League Cup, let’s go for it and give it our best. Whatever happens, happens.’
“And now we’ll give it our all to win these finals and make history by winning the three titles. And most especially the Champions League, because it’s the title we haven’t won yet.”
READ NEXT:
