Three Things We Learnt From Beating Shakhtar

Manchester City have started to develop a habit of beating Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

It is always refreshing to see your team getting off to a positive start in any competition so it was great to see Manchester City return to winning ways against Shakhtar Donetsk.

We have made something of a habit out of winning in Ukraine and surely the odds are that we will not draw them again for another year. Shakhtar are actually in an excellent run of form so did not represent an easy game for City, but nevertheless we made short work of the task at hand.

From watching the game over and comparing the performance to our defeat at Norwich, what can we learn? Well there were three things which struck us.

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Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent

The Norwich game is already no more than a blip, an irritation in the grand scheme of life. When we lift the Premier League trophy aloft next May we will look back on that game – especially if we cement the title by beating Norwich in our last home game – as an aberration.

Of course it will help in that analysis if we beat Watford and the rest too, but you get my point? You see as Pep said after the defeat you cannot really question this group of players who have achieved so very much already – class will out in the end.

Our Fans are Great

Despite this being the latest in a long list of occasions when we have been drawn to Shakhtar in the group stages of the Champions League. Despite these draws being each of the last three years. Despite Ukraine being in a war zone. Despite the two weeks notice and without any scheduled direct flights, our excellent fans still travelled.

Without a doubt this will be one of those games which assume mythical status in the years to come amongst our fan base. This will be another York or lincoln away game where everyone will claim they were there!

The Champions League is Back

A competition which is not widely loved by the City fans has clearly returned in all it’s pomp and glory. Many of us struggle to separate the poor treatment we have had from UEFA from the Champions League as a spectacle, but slowly each season the anticipation grows.

I have said before that the glamour of European nights has permeated much of my life – since being drawn to the competition as a child. I spent so many years hoping to one day see my beloved City in the top tier competition that I am happy to put aside the disappointments we have had along the way.

Let us hope that this is the year we actually win the thing which will really put the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons!