Here they go again then. Manchester City in the Champions League knockouts: the annual crusade. Bookies' favourites again. Bossing the Premier League again. Every year there is a sense that their time is now. Every year there are varying degrees of disappointment.
The latest - wilting against Chelsea in last year's final - is one Pep Guardiola privately admits he called incorrectly, when he played without a holding midfielder. It was by no means the only reason City lost but it contributed.
So, still they wait for the elusive European crown under Guardiola and, whether he likes it or not, the Catalan's legacy will be framed on that basis from those outside the club.