It has taken Pep Guardiola exactly five games -- three of which were half-paced preseason friendlies -- to show his new audience what a difference quality makes.
Manchester City's squad has contained stellar talent in abundance for eight or more years now, but the 5-0 win over Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday night provided something of an eye-opener, even in these bejeweled times. It was City's biggest-ever away win in European competition and featured a strolling, effortlessly effective performance from a group of players who could go on to achieve serious notoriety under the Catalan.