Another trophy bites the dust as reality sets in for Manchester City

Afew weeks ago, talk of an unprecedented Manchester City quadruple was making the rounds with Manuel Pellegrini’s side in seemingly unstoppable form on all fronts. After Wednesday’s 2-1 Champions League last-16 defeat in Barcelona, which sealed a 4-1 aggregate loss, the dream of a bumper springtime bounty for City is fading before its eyes. The League Cup it won at Wembley earlier this month with an unconvincing defeat of Sunderland was supposed to be an appetizer for the feast to come. Now, with the Champions League and FA Cup gone and Chelsea storming nine points clear in the Premier League, there is a growing feeling it might be the club’s only silverware this season. That would represent an anti-climax for a City side that earlier this season was being lauded for playing the best soccer throughout Europe. City’s Abu Dhabi owners have invested hundreds of millions of pounds into turning the once under-achieving club into a major European force, but six years after they opened the cash tap there is clearly still a long way to go. Reaching the business end of the Champions League – the quarterfinals and semifinals as a minimum – is the benchmark for a club with ambitions of continental grandeur. That is why Pellegrini, who did just that with unfashionable Villarreal and Malaga in Spain, was hired to replace Roberto Mancini, who could not even get City out of the group phase of the blue-ribbon competition. At least Pellegrini fared slightly better as City finished runner-up to holders Bayern Munich in its group – beating the German side away before Christmas. The draw for the last-16 was not kind, but with cracks appearing in the once all-conquering Barca side, City was expected to push the Catalans all the way. As it turned out they bowed out meekly, producing a tame performance at home when losing 2-0 and never seriously threatened a fightback in the Nou Camp, where they had Pablo Zabaleta sent off shortly after Lionel Messi had put Barca ahead on the night to effectively kill the tie. City’s captain Vincent Kompany said after the defeat on Wednesday that City would be stronger next season. But the notion that City is slowly growing into the Champions League as if it was a collection of raw youngsters is beginning to wear a little thin. City’s assistant Ruben Cousillas faced the media on Wednesday with Pellegrini suspended by UEFA after criticizing the referee in the first leg defeat to Barcelona. He tried to shed a positive light on a disappointing exit, saying the season had already been successful and that the European demise would mean the club will now concentrate all efforts on hauling in Chelsea in the Premier League. However, to all those watching, it is all too evident that this was yet another squandered opportunity by a club that, despite its deep pockets, still has a ways to go to be considered elite.