Was there any point in going to Ilos?

[u/FloorAgile3458]

Since Shepard and the gang just end up at the citadel anyway, wouldn't it have been more effective to simply wait for Saren like the council wanted? If Shepard was at the citadel, they could have protected the council and possibly killed Saren before he got to the tower. The whole situation would have ended better. The council was right, their reasoning was just off a bit.