‘You can’t expect one player to carry the team’. That
was Mark Hughes’ reaction to the stick coming Robinho's
way.
The Brazilian continues to be criticised for failing
to replicate his often sparkling home performances when Manchester
City go on their travels.
The discrepancy was never clearer than this weekend when he
ambled around at Chelsea to ill effect before being substituted in
the second half.
“It was difficult to get him into the game,” said Hughes. “You
have to give the opposition credit for that because they see Robi
as a threat for us and they’re going to try to deny him the space
to have a positive impact.
“We had to try and change things and put some extra legs and
energy on the pitch in the end.
“He is under pressure every time he plays. But all our attackers
struggled so it is unfair to pinpoint Robinho’s performance. You
can’t just expect one player to carry the team.
“We have other players who have to stand up to the plate and be
counted. This wasn’t Robi’s day. We played really well on Thursday
[in the Uefa Cup]. I think that may have taken a bit of the
sharpness out of them – not just Robi.”
