Man City substitutes vs Real Madrid show pressing transfer need amid fresh Frenkie De Jong reports

As Manchester City try to put the shock of their Real Madrid defeat behind them and focus on the Premier League fixture against Newcastle, the inquest continues within the media.

City's players looked stunned on the Bernabeu pitch after Real's brilliant comeback on Wednesday, and photos of the players returning to Manchester appeared to show a subdued mood among the squad. No player has commented on the defeat in public or on social media in a rare squad silence from a club that usually knows the right thing to say at all times, even in defeat.

Their immediate focus will be to get the mindset in a place that can face Newcastle on Sunday in a must-win Premier League fixture. But the fall-out from Madrid will continue into the summer, and when City do delve deeper into why they lost, they may reflect on something Carlo Ancelotti said before the game.

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"It will possibly be a long game too but it's not so important who starts as it is who finishes it," said Ancelotti in his pre-match press conference.

Ancelotti has reminded the world of his enduring qualities this season with a La Liga title and incredible run to the Champions League final. That comment also shows his understanding of what it takes to win a huge semi-final against a quality side. City's starting XI was stronger in the second leg than the first, while Ancelotti dropped Rodrygo to the bench.

As the game ticked over to the last half hour of normal time, both sides looked to make changes and focussed on their midfields. By 90 minutes, Real were strengthened, and City didn't have the personnel to launch a comeback they weren't prepared to make.

Rodrygo replaced Toni Kroos as Fede