The Chairman has been hugely impressed with the level of support at our home stadium this season, especially in our successful Champions League campaign.
With comprehensive wins over RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the knockout stages of the competition, the Chairman insisted that the backing of the fans had a big part to play in these memorable victories.
“The atmosphere at the Etihad this year really, and I think it’s something for all of us to take for the future, it’s become truly a fortress,” the Chairman said.
“What the fans give to the team spills over in the performances. Look at Real Madrid semi-finals 4-0, Bayern Munich quarter-finals 3-0, Leipzig Round of 16 7-0.
“And I hope and I wish that we can just take this now to another level.
“The Etihad is becoming what we always hoped for, which is truly the 12th man we always needed.
“And the players appreciate it. The coaches appreciate it. We appreciate it, the management team.
“Thank you. Really. Thank you to the fans for that.”
Those stunning knockout phase results at the Etihad helped us reach the final, where we defeated Inter 1-0 to win the Champions League.
The result brought up feelings of initial relief and eventual happiness for the Chairman.
But while this may have been our first win in the competition, he has been hugely impressed with the ‘consistency’ shown by City over many years in Europe.
“We’re arguably one of the most consistent teams in the Champions League for the last ten years, consistently in the group stages, consistently going forward.
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“And if you look at just the last five years - quarter-finals, quarter-finals, final, semi-finals, final and winning. So there’s a consistency in our performances in the Champions League.
“I think as a team, we are very mature, as an organisation and very mature as a club overall.”
