I don't think there are any real grounds to criticise Pellers or his team selection for last night. His job has probably been made more difficult by the announcement that Pep will be here next season and it's certainly been made a great deal more difficult by the frequent changes forced on the team by injuries, but at 7.45 pm last night we were virtually certainly in the hat for the draw for the last eight. The hard part had been done in Kiev and Kiev hadn't looked like a team with any chance of scoring three at the Etihad! The one and only thing which could have got our nerves on edge was an early goal for them and so when I saw that our back four was the strongest available with Fernandinho and Fernando in front of them and Ya Ya as well I heaved a sigh of heartfelt relief. I could see why Navas was preferred to Sterling because Raheem has done his bit in earning valuable goals and wins so far, but we didn't have to go for broke last night and the lad may be more valuable fresh for the week end. I was even glad Bony was on the bench because I couldn't really see any circumstances in which we'd have to throw Nacho on to chase a goal late on! Then the only other thing that could get us nervy hit, and right where we least wanted it. Vinnie out virtually before the game had started, soon to be followed by his partner. I actually found myself saying a silent prayer - for once, please, can City just do a routine, dull, boring 0-0 so that we can go through without any (more) major events or scares and then all go home! And, thank God, that's what the lads did. I think they call it game management these days.
So, we may well be the only English team in the last eight. Despite what such weighty intellectuals as Carragher & Co have to say, City have been the best of the English teams, certainly in the Pellegrini years. The top English teams are some way behind the best from Spain and Germany and PSG have proved too strong for Chelsea for the last two years. The pundits like to point out that City have never got beyond the last 16 but our groups have always been the toughest possible - the group of death - and Barcelona have lain in wait for the last two seasons. We gave Barca their closest tie last season. The other English teams have not beaten a decent team in the CL since Chelsea won in Munich on penalties. United, Arsenal and Liverpool have always lost comfortably to the first heavyweights they meet, if not before.
