Now Manchester City are found on the wrong side of the dotted line. With a game to go, they have sunk to their lowest point. Crowned officially the best team in Europe 19 months ago, the standings say they are now only the 25th finest in this competition. Pep Guardiola believes a table with a surreal look tells a truth. “Of course,” he said. “It’s the points we had.”
City were not merely beaten by Paris Saint-Germain. They were battered, their flaws highlighted by the team who had looked the Champions League’s greatest underachievers. City were overpowered, overrun, overcome. Collapsing, capitulating, they met their match in Paris. “They were better,” said Guardiola. “They were quicker, faster, they win the duels with the ball.”
