That's true. Being bankrolled by a state makes everything they do hollow. But my point was specifically on the spending part (rather than source). People are questioning his spending because they still haven't cracked Europe.
But I don't think their football is boring at all. They play the best football and most exciting footy in England, for me. It's just because it's City that it feels shallow etc because of the off the pitch reasons.
Best football is in no way the same as most exciting.
Where is the flair, the risks, it is football paint by numbers.
Player A moves to position A, then player B moves to position B, it works very well for them, of course it does, but in terms of pure excitement, nahh, they are probably the most boring side in the league.
Ruthless efficiency isn't exciting to watch.
Pep turns his players into robots, there is no fun, no flair.
It is why them winning all that they have is partially acceptable over Liverpool doing so (apart from it being well Liverpool) because there is a hollowness, a monotonous drone to their passing, to their goals, it all just feels empty and soulless.
Being an empty vessel for all of that oil money also plays its role, for sure, but it is the football that they play which is just boring really.
Being as efficient as they are takes all the fun and enjoyment out of it.
They suck the life out of games by being as robotically good as they are.