Excellent post, agree entirely.
I personally don't
AC Milan for instance did collapse in that CL Final under the Captain of Maldini and the leadership of the likes of Pirlo and Gattuso, but look at the rest of their career.
Messi was part of the side who collapsed at Anfield, but look at the rest of his career.
It can go on with the other examples given.
The games referenced in that post are exceptions, at massive moments in games when those sides are playing at the absolute top level against teams of comparable talent levels, no one would say those things can't happen, they do, it's sport.
Our leadership group though have been part of numerous collapses in terms of one off games, and sustained form during moments of pressure over numerous seasons - those comparisons in the post aren't relevant, it is people who have overcome adversity more often than not.
Those were exceptions, with this group Sunday was not.
This leadership generally haven't helped steer the rest of the group at key moments.
It can be spoken about how "the team" should play, and that's true, but a team does rely on it's biggest earners to drive the standard and come up at key moments.
If the likes of De Bruyne, Rodri and Dias had fallen into themselves last year, City most likely don't win a treble even if others step up to the plate.
The big players, and the big salary earners are generally those who win sides titles and trophies, it comes with the wage
We do panic as a football team, we have done it numerous times during the las 5 years, it's nonsensical to try and claim senior players don't play a massive part in that, they are the constant in it
We have done it with numerous managers and other squad players around that group, the constant has, mostly, been them.
It was said in the post about, if you ever watched football if you ever played football you would never speak about this "nonsense" that is not true, at any level, even fat arse Dads trying to run around on a Sunday, key communication is massive, when you get stressed and in a state of frenzy, a player who will come and take the ball for a minute, take the tempo out or in a game, talk through situations, go and sit in the area of a player who is in a state of struggle and share the ball with them and get easy touches that's just at the absolute lowest level, such things are applicable at the top level as well, team mates do look after each other on the park