MONACO -- The debate about whether Manchester City "are back" is going to be a theme of their season.

It's perhaps only natural after a team which has been so dominant for so long suffers an unexpected and spectacular dip.

Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva were both asked at their respective pre-match news conferences on Tuesday evening about the level of this City team. Neither player or manager seemed entirely sure of the answer. You can see why.

On Wednesday, they were good in parts against AS Monaco and vulnerable in others. They should have won, but they didn't. A late Eric Dier penalty -- awarded by VAR -- pegged back Guardiola's side, who had to settle for a 2-2 draw. It wasn't a bad result, but it wasn't good, either.

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