Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany concedes they're not in the elite of Europe.

Kompany concedes City have a lot of hard work ahead to bridge the divide.

"The reality is they [Barcelona] were a better team," said Kompany as City's 1-0 'massacre' in Barcelona prompted suggestions across the Continent that English clubs are now 'the sick men of Europe'.

"There is no shame in admitting that.

"There is a big, big difference. I will mention Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and then there are the rest. Real Madrid are probably in between. It is the co-ordination and the tempo of their play.

"Ultimately we have always said our goal is to become as good as them, but it will take some time.

"You have to look at what are Bayern Munich, what are Barcelona. They are not just Champions League-winning teams, they are World Cup-winning teams as well. They have generations that have played together a long time.

"Of course we want to make up the gap but you have to be true to yourself. If we want to close that gap it will take some work, and time.

"If you want to win against those teams you need a very special performance and a little bit of luck. There is no shame in saying it, you just have to keep going back and keep improving.

"At least we have the ambition to be as good as they are, but it is not going to happen overnight. It is going to take some committed work."