Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has apologised to fans for his weakened selection in their FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
Houllier angered fans with his line-up.
He said: "I'm sorry. Perhaps I should have warned them before but it is not as if I played the youth team.
"There was risk, yes, but these are good players. I made changes against Sheffield United and Blackburn in the Cup in previous rounds and felt I had to again."
As for the reaction of the fans, Houllier said: "I can't explain it. First of all, you play against a bigger team than ours.
"Sorry, Man City are above us at the moment and this is our challenge for the future. Even when we won 1-0 it was heroic.
"I thought we could draw there and if you draw you have to replay. That means playing Saturday, Wednesday, Monday and maybe Saturday.
"You have to take that into consideration. My view is to keep everyone fresh and hungry."
