Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland asking to be subbed due to tiredness left me SHOCKED, Chris...

Chris Sutton was surprised to learn that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland requested to take a break from the game against Real Madrid due to exhaustion.

On Wednesday, the Spanish giants eliminated Man City from the Champions League via penalties. The quarter-final tie concluded with a tied aggregate score of 4-4.

This implies that City won't be able to achieve the Double Treble, which was their aim to retain the championship for consecutive years after their initial victory last season.

As the game was nearing its end, De Bruyne and Haaland were both subbed out. Julian Alvarez took the place of Haaland before extra time, while Mateo Kovacic replaced De Bruyne after 112 minutes.

After the game, Pep Guardiola confirmed that Erling and Kevin had to be substituted due to injuries. He stated that they both requested to be taken out of the match as they were unable to continue playing.

Chris Sutton expressed his surprise at the fact that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland requested to be replaced in the Man City vs. Real Madrid game due to exhaustion.

Haaland left the game before the additional time, while De Bruyne was substituted after playing for 112 minutes.

Sutton was shocked and believed that City would have emerged triumphant if the game had gone to penalties.

The team was performing exceptionally well. I personally don't prefer frequent changes in the line-up, but Kevin, Erling, and Manu (Akanji) requested to be substituted as they were unable to carry on playing.

Sutton, who previously won the Premier League, appeared on Mail Sport's It's All Kicking Off podcast with Ian Ladyman and expressed his disbelief at Guardiola's remarks.

"I must admit, I'm quite taken aback if they actually requested to be taken off," he remarked. "Some may argue that if De Bruyne and Haaland stayed to take the penalty, Manchester City could have had higher chances of winning the shoot-out."

Pep needs to prioritize the welfare of his team. But, in my personal experience, there have been scarce instances where my teammates requested to be taken off the field.

Well, I reckon if they're hurt and cannot play during the weekend, then that's another matter. However, to be honest, I am somewhat taken aback by the situation as it appears.

The match between City and Real was their 51st game this season in all competitions. Also, Guardiola's team has nine players who have played more than 3,000 minutes in all competitions, which is more than any other Premier League club.

Last week, Rodri stated that he required some time off after an exhausting routine.

On Saturday, the City football team will play against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final match at Wembley. They still have seven more games to play in the last four weeks of the season.

According to Sutton, it's not wise for Man City to publicly complain about being tired as it sends a negative and potentially harmful message.

Last week, Rodri accepted that he required a break following an exhausting timetable in the last few months.

When Sutton and Ladyman talked about the problem of City being tired for the rest of the campaign, Sutton thought they would be okay. However, he also mentioned that announcing their fatigue publicly was not a positive mindset to have.

He stated: 'I believe that this particular team from the City is one that has gone through the experience in the past and is accustomed to seasons with an abundance of games.'

It's expected that they will feel sad this morning since they were eliminated from the game yesterday. However, they have demonstrated resilience numerous times before.

This is about having a chance. At this point in the season, it's not acceptable to convince yourself that you're fatigued mentally. I was a bit taken aback by Pep's comment that Haaland and De Bruyne requested to be substituted because you can't go into a game with the belief that you're exhausted.

City have a challenging schedule ahead of them with seven matches remaining in the last four weeks of the season. Their ultimate goal is to achieve a Double and they need to work hard to make it happen.

They're getting close to the finish line. Their approach should be to end the season with a strong performance. They shouldn't give up or decline weakly.

These players are accustomed to playing three games every week, but it appears as though Rodri had mentioned feeling fatigued earlier in the season. I may not be entirely accurate, but it begs the question as to why he would express such a sentiment.

At this point in the season, every player dreams of being in this position. Their desire is to win every game and collect as many wins as possible.

Therefore, conveying a message about exhaustion is risky as it can have severe implications. We all experience tiredness, but it should not be promoted as a widespread notion.