Kevin De Bruyne Confesses to Fatigue As Manchester City Squad Feels Exhausted Post-FA Cup Victory Over Chelsea

Manchester City has moved on after Real Madrid shockingly knocked them out of the UEFA Champions League. In a moment of redemption, City beat Chelsea to clinch a spot in the FA Cup final. However, the Cityzens’ ride is still bumpy rather than smooth. Pep Guardiola‘s men played for more than 120 minutes while they lost the UCL QF to Madrid. Within two days, they faced Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. Courtesy of this crammed schedule, City’s midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne cut an ‘exhausted’ figure after the FA Cup win.

Kevin De Bruyne had quashed recurring injury woes to start in the Manchester City-Real Madrid game. In the 112th minute, a fatigued KDB requested Pep Guardiola to call him back on the bench. Starting against Chelsea has also taken a heavy toll on the Belgian superstar. “I’m really tired now, it’s been a hard week but to come here and give that performance is wonderful for the team,” said De Bruyne, as compiled by The Athletic’s Sam Lee. “I think what we showed today after Wednesday, everybody is tired and exhausted… but we deserved to win,” KDB added.

It seemed like Kevin De Bruyne’s hamstring was troubling him again after the UCL tie against Real Madrid. While leaving the field, the 32-year-old was seen holding to his hamstring, as he experienced pain in the area. Notably, the Belgian star had undergone a hamstring surgery last year and sat out for more than half of the ongoing season. Only time will tell if the same injury woe is haunting the Manchester City star. Meanwhile, Guardiola unleashed a tirade against the English FA for its crammed schedule.

Pep Guardiola rants at crammed schedule amid Kevin De Bruyne’s fatiguing experience

After Kevin De Bruyne admitted to being fatigued, Pep Guardiola seemed immensely worried about his players’ health. “It’s unacceptable. It’s not normal. For the health of the players, after 120 minutes vs Real… it’s unacceptable,” said Pep Guardiola. He added he doesn’t know how the City players survived after 90 minutes of action against Chelsea. Notably, star striker Erling Haaland was not even seen on the bench during the Manchester-Chelsea tie. It is quite probable that the Norwegian has picked up an injury.

Speaking of De Bruyne before the Chelsea game, Guardiola said he was well and started him. Now that the Belgian himself has spoken at length about his condition, it remains to be seen if he will be on the sidelines again. City next plays Brighton Hove Albion on Thursday in a Premier League tie. Hence, the Cityzens have ample time to recuperate. But once they are back, they will have to relentlessly work to defend the English title.