Paris Saint-Germain were taught a footballing lesson by Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
Pep Guardiola's side came from a goal behind at the Etihad to beat the star-studded French outfit 2-1 and finish top of their Champions League group.
Kylian Mbappe gave PSG a shock lead early in the first half after some fine work from Lionel Messi, but City fired back with goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.
It was no less than the Premier League champions deserved, as they dominated possession and had 15 shots on goal.
PSG were distinctly second-best throughout, despite the fact Messi, Neymar and Mbappe - arguably the greatest front three ever assembled on paper - played the full 90 minutes in Manchester.
But in truth, having all three superstars on the pitch at the same time actually proved detrimental to Pochettino's side chances on the night, as Rio Ferdinand expertly highlighted on BT Sport's #UCLTonight show.
The Manchester United legend's damning analysis revealed just how disconnected the front three were from the rest of the team.
At one point in the match, the trio were way up the field and simply jogging next to City's last two men back while the rest of their teammates were left to defend a man light.
Take a look at Ferdinand - and Michael Owen's - thoughts on PSG's front three here...
Video: Are Messi, Neymar & Mbappe costing PSG in big games?
That's not a great look, is it?
Ferdinand highlights Marquinhos' position on the monitor, the place where he would have been on the pitch in his playing days, and says "I've never, ever played in a game where I've seen that" with regards to Messi, Neymar and Mbappe's positions upfield.
Ouch.
If PSG and Pochettino want to win the Champions League this season, the issue of having to carry Messi, Neymar and Mbappe defensively simply has to be resolved as soon as possible.
Because unless drastic changes occur at the Parc Des Princes in that sense, teams like City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Bayern Munich will wipe the floor with them on the European stage.