Pellegrini defends playing kids in FA Cup rout

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini defended his decision to play a young, weakened team after his side’s 5-1 FA Cup fifth round humbling by Chelsea on Sunday.

The Chilean highlighted the Champions League trip to Dinamo Kiev in mid-week, along with their Capital One cup final next Sunday, as well as a lengthy injury list as the factors behind his decision.

Despite that, the 62-year-old insists the club takes all competitions seriously.

“I think that we played the first half very well, it was a very tight game, Chelsea were the best team, we played with six young players but I was very happy, unfortunately for us in five minutes we threw away what we did, and when it was 3-1 it was very difficult, we tried to create some chances, but Chelsea also scored more goals because of the way the game continued, of course the young players will have felt the high pace of the game.

“I don’t think that I need to defend. I think that we played two rounds before and in both rounds we were drawn with Premier League teams and we won 4-0 and 3-0 with all the players that we had in that moment. I think that one of the most important things that we must do here in England is to help English teams who are playing in the Champions League.

“We cannot take the risk, if I had just 13 players in this moment. If I had 20 players and I rested 20 players, then maybe. But if I have just 13 players I cannot take the risk to not recover the players who have a long flight tomorrow, or to have one player more injured today. So I think we did the correct thing and made the best decision for our club.

Q: Do you ask the club to do everything they could to play it at a different time?

“We tried to do all that we could but it was impossible.

“I think it’s important for young players to play, it’s especially important for players that has what I have asked for them, they take their chance, they had their normal performance so I was very happy, unfortunately it never is good to lose 5-1, I was not happy about the score, I think that we have a lot of positive things about young players that must have the option, maybe it’s not the best thing to do it, all of them together, but we couldn’t have any other chances because we have 13 players, we cannot mix them more, but I think if there is one team that respects all of the cups it is this team, that’s why we are in the final of the Capital One, that’s why we won the two previous games in this cup, if today we couldn’t it’s because we have more important things in this moment.

Q:Was this the club’s decision or your decision?

“I always take the best decision for the club.

“Part of these players had already played in the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup, it was important to continue, but three or four players, Celina, Manu Garcia, had played in other games, in the future we cannot know what will happen, but it’s important for us to try to recover players because we have six injuries, if not we have to continue playing with young players, that’s why it’s so important for the players today that they took their chances.

“Maybe you see before that teams play young players in the Capital One cup, but nobody say nothing about that. I say before, we play the last two games against Premier League teams with a very strong team, because we have the players, in this moment we have seven players injured, it’s impossible for us to take the risks, playing in both competitions. We are in the fifth round of the FA Cup, if we continue we don’t have time to the games postponed to play from now until the end , we have the option for the first time in our club to try to reach the quarter-final of the Champions League, I think with 13 players it’s a sensible decision.”

Report by Reuters