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Do City represent 'a broken game'?

How are we to interpret Manchester City's 6-0 drubbing of Watford in the FA Cup final yesterday? As a neutral in the Premier League, I simply enjoy watching Manchester City's skill. But some dislike such one sided games, which can look like a training game, even although Watford have shown throughout the season that they are not pushovers, in fact high achievers in their own right.

So for some it is an opportunity to reiterate the familiar 'Football is broken' narrative: Smashing of Watford is proof

I don't really buy into that narrative, at least in its full form. But even if I did, it wouldn't lead me to the conclusion that the time has come for a European super league. That seems like selling the pass.

Yet, as Jonathan Northcroft suggests in the Sunday Times today, City still lack what he calls 'glory', ungrudging recognition, for their achievements. In an article that is worth reading he suggests a number of interesting explanations . 'But most telling is their ownership. Even if you have no reservations about the human rights and foreign policy of Abu Dhabi (and plenty do not), the fact that City are funded by an entire petro-rich country, giving them wealth unparalleled in the game, is a dynamic that romantics cannot ignore.'

It certainly makes them an easy target for Uefa as they seek a club to make an example of to prove that their financial fair play rules are working.

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