Can't argue with the running thing, but it seems a bit odd that you're acknowledging a slow start to the season but not attributing any part of that to playing in the CL.
You've dropped points in 14 games so far this season, 10 of which came in the first half of the season, during which time you played 8 CL games (including the qualifier), compared to 4 so far in the second half of the season. You also played an additional mid-week game in the league cup.
You drew 3-3 with Watford the game before your qualifier first leg.
You lost 5-0 to City and drew 1-1 with Burnley either side of your first group game.
You drew 1-1 with Newcastle after your second group game.
You drew 0-0 with United and lost 4-1 to Spurs either side of your third group game.
You drew 1-1 with Chelsea after your fifth group game.
You drew 1-1 with Everton after your final group game.
You lost 2-1 to United after your last 16 second leg.
You drew 0-0 with Everton after your quarter final first leg.
That's 10 games where you've dropped points either immediately before or after a mid-week CL fixture, that's 71% of your dropped points. Of the four games where you dropped points but weren't immediately before or after a CL fixture, two of them were during the Christmas fixture congestion (West Brom 0-0 was a mid-week game and Arsenal 3-3 was immediately before a mid-week game), meaning of the 14 games in which you've dropped points, just two were not immediately before or after a mid-week fixture (Swansea 1-0 and Tottenham 2-2), which means that 86% of your dropped points have come immediately before or after a mid-week game.
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