Gael Clichy does not believe Manchester City have improved following last year’s Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini was very vocal in his thoughts ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League last-16 first leg and claimed that the Premier League champions had improved and learn’t from their defeat to the La Liga side last season.
However, a first half display from Barca that saw them dominate possession and score two away goals has seen City now face an uphill battle heading to the Camp Nou for the second leg.
And, former Arsenal defender Clichy, who was sent off for a high tackle on Daniel Alves, has said that he feels no improvement has been made in the space of 12 months at City.
“It’s hard to say that [City have improved],” he told reporters. “If you look at this game they had more possession, created chances and we ran after the ball a lot. I don’t know if we have improved since last year.
“We are privileged to be in a club that wants to improve year after year. And to improve is to go further in the Champions League. Twice in a row we have played Barcelona. They are a big team and know how to play those kind of games. Eventually we will get there.
“Those clubs have been built for several years — 20, 30, 40 years — and this is only the sixth season for us but that’s no excuse. The owner wants to improve quickly, so we have to improve quickly.
“If we play as we did in the second half, everything is possible. It’s not going to be easy, but we are going to try really hard.”