Hughes: 'Tired' Robinho needed rest

13 April 2009 11:00
Manchester City boss Mark Hughes defended his decision to leave Robinho on the bench after his side slumped to a 3-1 home loss against Fulham. Stephen Ireland had given the Blues a half-time advantage but, just as they did in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago, Fulham turned the match on its head. Clint Dempsey levelled before City old-boy Dickson Etuhu volleyed Roy Hodgson's side in front. And even after Robinho's 63rd-minute introduction, Fulham continued to dominate and it was no surprise when Dempsey wrapped up the win near the end. The City fans vented their frustration at the final whistle after earlier chanting "You don't know what you are doing" at Hughes when he introduced Ched Evans for Valeri Bojinov, while Robinho remained on the bench. But the Blues boss felt he had no other option given Robinho has been involved almost constantly since his £32.5million arrival from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day last summer. "People make comments but I am trying to protect the players," said Hughes. "I know the fitness levels of each one. So when people make comments maybe they are being a bit too simplistic. "Robinho has had a great first season but he has been among those responsible for carrying the vast majority of the workload, and it was my first opportunity to give him a break." Robinho will return for Thursday's UEFA Cup quarter-final with Hamburg, when City will be trying to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Vincent Kompany, who all missed out this afternoon, should be involved as well, although not Craig Bellamy, who will have a scan on the knee injury he suffered in Germany after the Easter weekend. Hughes knows his side face a tough task trying to rescue the situation against Martin Jol's men. And he is also aware City will need to perform much better than they did this afternoon. "We have been fighting on two fronts, in the Premier League and in Europe. Maybe today is when it caught up with us," reflected Hughes. "I needed to get some energy into the side and hopefully we will be in better shape for Thursday, which is a key game for us. "We are looking to finish the season strongly and now we are looking to peg back a two-goal deficit against what I consider to be the best side in Germany. "It is a tall ask but we will give it our best shot." City now find themselves at the back of the pack chasing the final English berth in the re-named Europa League next term. In contrast, Fulham are only a point adrift of London rivals West Ham, who are currently in that crucial seventh spot, having made huge progress since their last visit to Eastlands, when Hodgson virtually gave up on survival when his team found themselves two goals adrift with 20 minutes to go. "It is not easy to play in Europe at a high level and then do it again on Sunday as Manchester City were trying to do, so, of course, that was in our favour," he said. "But I don't want that to take anything away from our team performance because I thought we were very good." Hodgson's vast experience and common-sense approach means he is a man worth listening to. So, for those City fans now demanding the removal of their manager, the Fulham chief had some words of caution. "This is a club where there has been an awful lot of changes in a very short period of time," he said. "Mark Hughes will need time to reshape the club the way he wants. "He is building a new team. But he is a very successful manager and I am sure that he will soon have Manchester City challenging for honours."

Source: Eurosport