Regardless of their Champions League performances this season it is hard to escape the idea that the Premier League club's project is much healthier
Had Paris Saint-Germain been drawn against against Basel in the Champions League last 16, there's a fair chance the French club would be through to the quarter-finals, with talk of their European struggles off the agenda completely – or at least postponed for another few weeks.
It would be missing the point to praise Manchester City for progressing to the next round, having beaten Basel over two legs, while sticking the boot into PSG for failing to beat Real Madrid, the 12-time winners, who could yet win three in a row.