These favorite and best team in Europe talks must finally end. For both clubs. The history is important for CL.
Of all the usual nonsense spouted in the wake of yesterday's game this absolutely takes the prize. How does this mysterious property of "history" actually effect football match?
This competition is won with combination of having a top squad and some luck. That's how Madrid won it three times in a row, not because of "history" or tactics. For the last 10 years they and Barcelona have had the best squads in football. City and PSG are not yet on that level, and didn't get enough luck to make a bigger impact.
In fact, when it comes to tactics and "class" (which is apparently a feature of having "history" that you can't buy), teams like PSG and especially City arguably have too much of it to survive in a dogfight that is knockout football.
You can't win such competition by overthinking and trying to control the match all the time. And that's what coaches of these two teams do. Keep it simple and ride the momentum will do much better.
There is also a question of style of football. In my book, the way these teams play is the right way to play football. There is tactical variety and artistry in it. Their coaches are passionate and very competent. But there is also an inherent fragility in it, that often becomes obvious in tense knockout football. That's also why Madrid has outdone Barcelona in Europe.