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Manchester City reached the Champions League last 16 with a tense 2-0 victory over Galatasaray, avoiding the play-off round that ended their campaign last season. Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki scored as City finished eighth in the table, while Pep Guardiola also reached 400 wins as City manager in all competitions.
Bernardo Silva underlined how much skipping the extra round mattered for a squad already stretched by injuries and a packed schedule. Silva told TNT Sports: "We are happy, just very happy because we wanted to qualify in the top eight. With a bit of drama, we did it. Overall, very happy because we avoid two games. With the schedule, it's really important to do that. We need also to recover some players to arrive in the last months
of the season. "
Silva stressed that having a long break before the next Champions League phase should allow key players to return. City had been missing John Stones, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho and Mateo Kovacic in recent weeks. Silva added: "With the schedule, with the amount of injuries we have at the minute, to have those two full weeks to prepare the team, to recover some players, to focus on other competitions for now is going to be really good. "
Qualification was not straightforward for City, whose group campaign stayed tight after a 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt last week. That loss left their progress in doubt until the final round, increasing the importance of the controlled display against Galatasaray. The clean sheet also arrived despite those absences in defence, which had disrupted City’s stability during December.
Rayan Cherki continued an impressive run of form, becoming the Premier League player with the most goal contributions in all competitions since the start of December, with 11 involvements, made up of five goals and six assists. Haaland ended a sequence of nine matches without a goal from open play and scored for the 56th time in the Champions League, drawing level with Ruud van Nistelrooy in joint eighth in the competition’s all-time scoring list.
Silva felt those attacking returns could shape the next stage of City’s Champions League campaign. Silva said: "It's really nice for us because it gives them [Haaland and Cherki] confidence. Hopefully, they can keep scoring, keep going. [Cherki's] a special talent in terms of how much he can create in the final third, especially. He's young, willing to learn and a good kid, so we're happy to have him with us. "
For Guardiola, the Galatasaray win marked another personal landmark. The match was Guardiola’s 569th in charge of Manchester City in all competitions. The victory was his 400th, the lowest number of games needed to reach that total by any manager in England’s top flight, underlining the sustained level of results delivered during Guardiola’s tenure.
The night also brought a fresh concern as Jeremy Doku, who assisted both goals, left the pitch before half-time with a calf issue. Guardiola said: "He looks injured. The calf. He felt something," and expected Doku to miss the Premier League trip to Tottenham on Sunday. Guardiola added: "Jeremy has had these little problems; his muscles, with the demands, his effort. But yeah, hopefully [by] March [in the Champions League], he can be ready to help us because in [Real] Madrid he was exceptional, for example, I remember. In Norway [vs Bodo/Glimt], he couldn't play from what everybody knows what happened in Old Trafford. Unfortunately, he's not ready for a few more days. "
City now moved into the Champions League last 16 with momentum from victory, confidence restored for Haaland and Cherki, and a notable milestone for Guardiola, yet still carrying fitness concerns. The extra rest before March appeared vital, giving Guardiola and City a chance to heal a depleted squad while staying focused on domestic demands in the coming weeks.
