Olive branch of the week was handed out by Pep Guardiola after his side’s win over Crystal Palace, when the Manchester City manager said he hoped Manchester United would go all the way and win the Europa League because it would be amazing to have five English clubs in the Champions League next season.
So it would, though looking around at the standard of competition in Europe, some are going to have to pull their socks up to make any more impression on the knockout stages than they managed this time. Monaco scored six goals against Manchester City, proceeding to the last eight by virtue of claiming three of them at the Etihad, yet faced with Italian standards of defending they managed a single goal against Juventus, and that a mere consolation late in the second leg.
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