Pep Guardiola was hired to turn Manchester City into one of Europe’s elite clubs and on Wednesday, his former team Barcelona showed just how much work he has ahead of him with an emphatic 4-0 win.
Guardiola had indicated that the encounter at Camp Nou, where he enjoyed four wonderfully successful seasons as coach, would be a gauge for where City stood in the European football hierarchy and the score line, with a Lionel Messi hat trick, provided the answer.
It could be argued it was a harsh result, heavily influenced by the second-half red card for City keeper Claudio Bravo, but brutal shorelines are what Barcelona delivers when you make too many mistakes.