Barça mended & made do over the last 5 years, as they've tried to recover from nearly bankrupting themselves in an effort to retain Messi & keep him financially content.
They added a whole host of ageing squad fillers whilst they refocused on bringing through youth talent from La Maisa. They're now reaping the benefits & rewards. In the recent Spanish Super Cup Final, they played Real off the park, & still managed to match them after going down to 10 men.
City have slipped behind all three imo, BUT we're not streets & lanes behind. We're a couple of elite midfielders & fullbacks away from re-establishing ourselves as a CL & PL powerhouse.