Gael Clichy is of the belief that Manchester City have not improved since last season.
The Premier League holders were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Tuesday night and according to French left-back Clichy, Manuel Pellegrini's men are no better now than they were when losing 4-1 on aggregate to the Catalan giants this time in 2014.
"It's hard to say that," said Clichy. "If you look at this game they had more possession, created chances and we ran after the ball a lot. I don't know if we have improved since last year.
"We are privileged to be in a club that wants to improve year after year. And to improve is to go further in the Champions League. Twice in a row we have played Barcelona. They are a big team and know how to play those kind of games. Eventually we will get there."
Clichy added that City are not quite established in Europe's premier club competition but suggests club owner Sheikh Mansour is expecting a lot more from his investment.
"Those clubs have been built for several years - 20, 30, 40 years - and this is only the sixth season for us but that's no excuse," the former Arsenal full-back added.
"The owner wants to improve quickly, so we have to improve quickly."
