Reality check for Manchester City project at Camp Nou

Manchester City have recruited Barcelona’s greatest manager, hired their most successful Director of Football and have 13 former Barcelona coaches involved in their academy as they try desperately to replicate the Catalan model; but the one man they couldn’t buy proved Sheikh Mansour’s project is still some way from completion.

Lionel Messi’s hat-trick in the Nou Camp in a match in which City self-destructed to lose 4-0 after a positive start, underlined that however well run a club may be and however fast its progress, football can be very painful indeed.

City will look back on key moments in this match — a slip by Fernandinho, a stupid sending off for Claudio Brava, a controversial decision to leave out Sergio Aguero — and think they could have done so much better. But the end result is certainly a massive setback and a serious blow to the self-belief of Pep Guardiola’s side.