How Manchester City deal with the burden of their Champions League final defeat will be the ultimate psychological test
The morning after the night before, the images retained a haunting quality for Manchester City supporters. Never mind the sight of many of their players slumped over or stretched out along the turf at the Estádio do Dragão following the death of the Champions League dream, it was Pep Guardiola, inevitably, who best caught the frustration and despair.
The City manager had wanted to make one thing clear after the 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the final in Porto. “I’d like to say it was an exceptional, exceptional season for us,” Guardiola said, and nobody disagreed. A third Premier League title in four attempts, won by a 12-point margin, is Exhibit A for the defence, and then there has been the quality of the football: fast, incisive, technically brilliant.
