Pep Guardiola often bemoans the schedule so for Manchester City to enter the last 16 directly and miss the home-and-away knockout play-off round will please.
The manager, though, was clearly unhappy with the team performance that set up the victory and progression due to a troubling sluggishness and doing what annoys him most: failing to play the high-octane way that he drills into his players.
Erling Haaland’s opener – only a second in the striker’s last eight matches – and Rayan Cherki’s second, each before the interval, were slickly taken but they derived from slack Galatasaray defensive work.
Throughout, Guardiola yelled at the side to step up concentration and tempo but for some reason this did not occur. As a perfectionist this will trouble him, yet for now, City have avoided two extra games, squeezing through in eighth place, which is a definite boon.
On a night of myriad permutations Guardiola’s brief to City was the same as always: go out there and win. His players began in a stadium made noisy by the vociferous travelling support who nearly witnessed Haaland score in front of the 2,600 fans in their section behind Ugurcan Cakir’s goal.
Rayan Aït-Nouri ’s cross offered the No 9, goalless from open play in his last seven outings, a plum chance to head past Galatasaray’s No 1 but he somehow failed to hit the target. Moments later, though, the Norwegian sprinted on to Jérémy Doku’s defence-splitter and coolly chipped Cakir.
Okan Buruk’s side arrived as the Turkish champions of the last three seasons and Super Lig leaders by three points, having lost one of 19 games in the competition this term.
Buruk’s configuration was a 4-4-1-1 featuring Victor Osimhen as the No 9, and the City old boys, Ilkay Gündogan, Leroy Sané in central and right midfield respectively.
Gabriel Sara, operating off Osimhen, dropped one free-kick into the City danger area that Matheus Nunes headed clear but other than a corner the Turks largely played chase-ball.
City are no longer the slick unit that scythes their foe open as illustrated by Doku, then Nico O’Reilly unloading at range, and this also pointed to a disjointedness that had Bernardo Silva hoofing the ball straight up and Cherki being mugged near his area. Guardiola was furious and with Osimhen forcing Gianluigi Donnarumma into a low save, City’s second goal was welcome.
Doku, zipping about everywhere, popped up on the left, squared to Cherki, and in space in the area beat Cakir, to the goalkeeper’s right with ease.
After half an hour City had risen to seventh place. Yet Guardiola, without the suspended Rodri and having again dropped Phil Foden, was unhappy – Cherki the focus of his ire.
On 36 minutes Doku limped off after a tussle with Davinson Sánchez so Foden entered, but when the ball broke to Nunes from a Cherki corner the defender dawdled and allowed Osimhen to charge towards goal. An anguished Guardiola watched as Nunes recovered but here was further sloppy football from City.
Better was Aït-Nouri’s slaloming run that took him along the left. He picked out a free Foden but the No 47 scooped over and at the whistle for the break Guardiola strode off.
Scores elsewhere meant City began the second half in the princely place of fourth – and in the same odd mode, an Aït-Nouri high ball smashed back from halfway for some reason, the latest jarring sight.
When Nathan Aké’s distribution proved equally aimless, Guardiola unloaded a verbal volley, and a period yet to have any rhythm was disrupted by three pitch invaders holding flags.
Burak’s team were on top. A foray down their left claimed a corner, Sara dipped it in but Osimhen’s header was simple for Donnarumma. A Turkish goal and City would be jittery and the visitors, in burgundy and orange, enjoyed the control to force one.
When Cherki dropped deep and passed around the corner to Omar Marmoush along the left it was a rare attack from City – a quaint state of affairs for Guardiola’s team.
So, too, a hopeful long ball up to Haaland. The centre-forward found Marmoush who, if his touch was better, might have scored City’s third. Instead, Osimhen nearly did – his shot had Donnarumma repelling smartly and, now, Guardiola brought on Tijjani Reijnders for Marmoush.
Nico González replaced Cherki for the closing minutes yet a clumsy Haaland pass caused Guardiola, again, to hold his head. A strange evening, then, for City and one that Guardiola will surely use to lecture his charges on what not to do.