Manchester City's performance at Barcelona on Wednesday shows they are nowhere near the standard they should be according to Paul Scholes.
The Premier League holders were brushed aside by Barca in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg at the Camp Nou, losing 1-0 to crash out of Europe's elite league 3-1 on aggregate.
Despite the narrow scoreline, City were dominated by the Catalan giants and could have been battered if it weren't for goalkeeper Joe Hart which Manchester United great Scholes duly noted.
He wrote in his column for the London Evening Standard that Manuel Pellegrini's side were tactically poor and suggested they have a lot of improving to do to compete in Europe.
'As far as the failings of Premier League teams in this season's Champions League go, there was no better example of their collective shortcomings than Manchester City's defeat to Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night,' Scholes opined.
'Outplayed, outfought and out-thought, City were miles off the pace.
'This was a defeat that was not just about Lionel Messi, although he was sensational. It was not just about Barcelona's return to form, although they look very good again. It was about another English team going into a game against brilliant European opposition with no plan to stop their opponents playing and an extreme naivety when it came to their tactical approach.'
