Jack Rodwell has featured in just 10 of City's 52 games this season[GETTY]With Liverpool strengthening their grip on their first championship for 24 years following their win at Norwich, the inquests have already started into how City, favourites for most of the season, have faded out of the picture.
Pellegrini has used only 23 players - the lowest number in the Premier League - and injuries over the course of the season to key men like David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Matija Nastasic have led to suggestions Pellegrini should have used his squad more often, especially with City chasing a quadruple of trophies until March.
English quartet James Milner, Micah Richards, Jack Rodwell and Joleon Lescott, for instance, have made only 20 League starts between them, while Gareth Barry and Scott Sinclair were loaned to Everton and West Brom before the season even started.
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho suggested after the shock home draw with Sunderland that fatigue could be a reason why City had faded at the business end of the season.
But Pellegrini insists that is an easy excuse for a poor performance as City prepare to face West Brom at the Etihad Stadium tonight (Mon).
Manuel Pellegrini said that he chose to keep Rodwell over Gareth Barry because he is younger [GETTY]Rodwell was 22, Barry was 32 and in the final season of his contract so the decision had to be Rodwell
He said: "I don't agree because we made a lot of rotations during the season. I think I have kept the same team only once. After the Liverpool game we made five changes for Sunderland. It was a fresh team but they just played badly. And when you play badly it is normal to think you are tired.
"We have played 13 games more than Liverpool but the squad was big enough to try and win four trophies. The problem has not been the amount or quality of the players.
"Rodwell and Richards didn't play more because a lot of the time they were injured so it was very difficult to pick them. We didn't know they would be injured so much and maybe Barry would have played some games.
"But it is important to understand that the decision about Barry was made at the start of the season when we had five players for two positions. That was too many.
Fernandinho said that City's draw with Sunderland is due to fatigue [GETTY]"Rodwell was 22, Barry was 32 and in the final season of his contract so the decision had to be Rodwell."
But the decision has backfired. While Barry has had an outstanding season at Goodison and could have been more than useful cover and competition for Toure and Fernandinho, injury-plagued Rodwell has made just one League start.
Pellegrini is refusing to give up the title fight however and insists City must win their final five games to keep the pressure on champions-elect Liverpool, while pinning their hopes on Chelsea beating Brendan Rodgers' seemingly unstoppable team at Anfield on Sunday.
Kick-off: 8pm. TV: Sky Sports 1.
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