UEFA have just told Man City how to win the Champions League

On paper, Manchester City may never have been in a better shape to win the Champions League, as their group stage journey was spelled out yesterday.

They were two minutes from a second successive final last season, and have since strengthened with the marquee signing of Erling Haaland. Holders Real Madrid have lost influential midfielder Casemiro, who did so well to stop City in the semi-final by any means necessary, while beaten finalists Liverpool are without Sadio Mane and have started the season poorly.

Bayern Munich will have to try and win the Champions League without Robert Lewandowski, with other contenders like Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain hardly strengthening to the extent City have. There is an incredibly long way to go, but City may feel for the first time that they are rightly favourites to win it.

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So in order to get past their internal issues that have characterised recent defeats in the latter stages of the competition, City will need to find those marginal gains to ensure they are ready for their next big test in Europe. Helpfully, UEFA's latest technical report summarising the 2021/22 season focuses on various aspects of City's approach in Europe last season, highlighting three players in particular as key to their chances.

The first detailed mention of City is a tactical exploration of their clash of styles with Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals, with the Blues breaking down Atletico's stubborn block in the first leg thanks to Kevin De Bruyne, and holding firm against their more direct approach in the second leg to progress.

The technical observers note that Atletico played a