Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini defends his decision to name a weakened team for his side’s Premier League match against Southampton.
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Some fans blamed manager Manuel Pellegrini for making eight changes to the side that drew with Real Madrid in the Champions league semi-final first leg midweek, as he prepares for Wednesday’s second leg at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo has returned to training after missing three games for the club through injury.
But his side were second best in a poor performance that leaves City’s qualification for next season’s Champions League in jeopardy after rivals Manchester United had earlier cut the gap to fourth place to four points with a game in hand.
Ronald Koeman: “The club makes a five-year plan and of course I’m interested in how we see the plan and discuss about that plan and agree or not”. It was the same players who played other games.
“The most important thing is the game on Wednesday”.
“He is still a young player and sometimes they need to be more consistent and that is why we train and work with all the players to get a team who know what they can do”.
Pellegrini returns to the Spanish Capital on Wednesday night as his Manchester City look to reach the Champions League final for the first time ever. “Then I like to be straight with other players and they deserved to be in the 18”.
“There was no urgency, no desire and for Southampton to win as easily as they did – having 40 percent possession – tells you something is not right”.
“It was two great goals for me and the team today, but unfortunately we lost so the goals don’t mean anything”. Speaking of the stern test that Manchester City will provide in the semi-finals, he added “We know we have a tough challenge, but anything is possible”.
Southampton come into the fixture after registering a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa, who have been relegated from the Premier League. We have a small advantage [playing at home], although the game will still be very hard.
The Saints now find themselves down in eighth place in the table, with Ronald Koeman’s side provisionally only five points adrift of fifth-placed Manchester United.
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“Sometimes that was one of my criticisms to all the strikers, that they are not clinical enough, but we are very productive at home”.
