interviewing a number of people who know the club well, the general consensus is that it comes from their ‘drastic change of status’ in 2008, when the Abu Dhabi United Group took over from Thaksin Shinawatra.
Even if it feels like every big club in the Premier League these days can afford to spend in the way Manchester City did back then, it doesn’t take away from the fact few clubs have undergone such an impressive turnaround over the past 10 years.
L’Equipe also look at the argument from rival fans that the Etihad is always labeled as ‘empty’, often criticised for its lack of atmosphere.
Wrapping things up, the French newspaper come to the conclusion that Manchester City face the ‘indisputable reality’ of not being given the same respect as other big teams in the country, whether it be domestically or internationally.
At least not for the foreseeable future.
As Luke Edwards put it in his article, another league title, or lifting Champions League could change that over the next year or so.
