"We are not beating around the bush," said Kyle Walker this week. "We know this is now a great opportunity, we have a second chance definitely with Pep and the group of players who have stayed around and we need to put right the wrongs we did against Chelsea."
Two years ago, Manchester City were confident ahead of their first Champions League final appearance, but there was still a lingering feeling in the back of fans' minds. Maybe also in the players' thoughts. It might not have been imposter syndrome, but it was certainly a feeling that the Champions League was maybe a bigger task than the Blues had dreamed of.
Pep Guardiola made changes to his starting XI vs Chelsea - something he hinted was a mistake this week - some players didn't rise to the occasion, and City returned from Porto with a silver medal. Fast forward two years and the dream of winning the Champions League has become an expectation.
