Why Alan Shearer was right to question Pep Guardiola after Man City decision against Chelsea

Amid Pep Guardiola's valid complaints over the scheduling of Manchester City's FA Cup clash against Chelsea, one important detail appears to have been missed.

No one can deny that the effects of Wednesday night's gruelling Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid had an impact on Saturday. City appeared leggy, having very rarely given the ball away as cheaply as they did against Mauricio Pochettino's team.

But for a Bernardo Silva goal, the holders would have faced another 120 minutes of football, just a few days after playing extra-time and penalties in Europe. The decision to schedule City's game for Saturday was all the more baffling, considering that both Manchester United and Coventry City did not play in mid-week ahead of their semi-final on Sunday afternoon.

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Guardiola was incensed at his team having to play such a big fixture so soon after their mammoth tie against Madrid concluded late on Wednesday evening. The Catalan coach called it "unacceptable," raising concerns over the health of his players.

BBC pundit Alan Shearer then retorted to Guardiola that he could have chosen to play a different team to the one that faced Real. And whilst playing a slightly weaker side in an FA Cup semi-final would have come with its risks, Shearer's argument does hold some truth.

Guardiola's complaints are all the more surprising after he chose to make only three substitutions on Saturday. John Stones, Jack Grealish and Julian Alvaraz all came off for Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb.

City's manager could have still made two more changes and, while he may have considered saving them for the potential of extra time, he should perhaps have introduced fresh legs sooner given the testing schedule.

Talented midfielders Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic were left on the bench against Chelsea, but neither were used to refresh a tiring side who were playing poorly. Both players also began Wednesday's game against Real from the bench, with the Croatian coming on in the second half of extra-time.

Guardiola only made one substitution during 90 minutes against the Spanish giants, and it's not an uncommon trend. Only two substitutions were made in the previous game against Luton, and only one again in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. The last time City used all five substitutes was the 6-2 FA Cup win over Luton in February.

City will now have time to recover before Thursday's crucial Premier League trip to Brighton, and the champions may well be back to their fluid and sharp best against the Seagulls. But if Guardiola is so concerned about fatigue amongst his players, then his decision not to turn toward a bench packed with talent may yet come back to bite him come the end of May.