With ten changes to the starting eleven, the Citizens lost at home to Bayer Leverkusen before the clash with Real Madrid.
In his 100th Champions League match in charge of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola suffered a home defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, for which the Spanish coach later took responsibility.
With only one survivor from the starting eleven at the weekend against Newcastle, namely former FC Porto player Nico González, the overhaul proved costly for the Citizens, who lost to goals from Grimaldo and Schick.
Guardiola said he took responsibility and that he believed the players who started the game were outstanding, but that something was missing. He admitted they had to accept it and that, if they had won, the changes would not have been a problem, although there may have been too many. Playing every two or three days they have to make changes, but looking at the result, perhaps not so many. He then pointed to the next match, against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, saying that they still have time.
The defeat gave a bitter taste to what should have been a milestone evening for Guardiola. Reaching 100 Champions League games with the same club is a rare achievement, a sign of continuity at the highest level and constant presence in the latter stages of the competition. Instead of celebrating, City were left picking apart what went wrong against a Leverkusen side that showed organisation, intensity and efficiency in both boxes, punishing almost every lapse from the English champions.
Guardiola opted for heavy rotation with one eye clearly on the trip to the Bernabéu. Key names were rested, some regular starters were left on the bench, and others were given reduced minutes to manage their workload. On paper, the decision made sense. City face an exhausting calendar across all competitions, and the physical demands of their style require fresh legs. In practice, however, the new-look side struggled to find rhythm in the first half and allowed Leverkusen to grow in confidence with every passing minute.
Nico González, the only survivor from the weekend lineup, was asked to anchor the midfield and provide continuity between the two different elevens. The former FC Porto man tried to offer his usual mix of energy and discipline, dropping deep to receive the ball from the centre-backs and trying to accelerate the play with quick passes into the front line. At times he showed personality and tried to take responsibility, but the structure around him did not function as smoothly as in recent weeks, which made his job much harder against an aggressive German midfield.
Leverkusen, on the other hand, came to Manchester with a clear plan. They pressed in well-timed waves instead of constantly, waited for loose touches or slow passes in City’s first phase, and then broke at speed once they recovered possession. Grimaldo was a constant menace on the left, joining attacks from deep, combining with the forwards and arriving in dangerous positions at the edge of the box. Schick was ruthless in front of goal, making the most of the few clear chances that fell his way. City had more of the ball, but Leverkusen were sharper in the decisive moments.
For Guardiola, the key problem was not the attitude of his players, but the lack of control in certain phases. City could not pin Leverkusen back for long spells, and they were often caught slightly out of shape in defensive transitions. The usual synchronisation between midfield and defence was not always there, something that can happen when so many changes are made at once. The pressing triggers were not fully aligned, distances between lines opened up at the wrong times, and Leverkusen exploited those gaps with intelligent movement and quick passing.
After the game, the Catalan coach made a point of protecting his squad. He insisted that the players who came in did everything he asked, and he repeated that the responsibility lay with him. According to Guardiola, it is easy to criticise rotation when the result is negative, but it is a necessity over the course of a long season. He explained that City cannot expect the same eleven to play every three days in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cups without paying a physical price later on. Even so, he admitted that, with the benefit of hindsight, he might have reduced the number of changes.
The reaction of the supporters inside the stadium reflected both frustration and perspective. There was disappointment at losing at home in such an important competition, especially with the team struggling to create clear chances in the final third. At the same time, many fans recognise that City are still in a strong position overall and that Guardiola has earned trust when it comes to making bold decisions. One bad night does not erase years of consistency in Europe, but it does serve as a warning that even small drops in intensity can be punished at this level.
From a tactical point of view, the game will likely become a reference point inside the City dressing room. Guardiola and his staff will use it to analyse how the team functions with widespread rotation and what needs to be adjusted when so many squad players are on the pitch together. It is not only about quality, but about automatisms: timing of runs, pressing cues, understanding of space and movement. Matches like this highlight which partnerships work and which still need time to develop.
Nico González is one of the players who can take mixed lessons from the evening. On one hand, he was trusted in a high pressure Champions League game and given responsibility in midfield on a historic night for his coach. On the other, he was part of a team that did not reach its usual standards, and the result will inevitably influence how the performance is judged from the outside. For Guardiola, however, his presence in the lineup is a sign that he sees González as a key piece in managing the squad across a demanding season.
Attention now turns to the next challenge: Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Guardiola himself underlined that there is time to reset, recover physically and mentally, and prepare a very different kind of game. The City manager will almost certainly return to a more familiar starting eleven in Spain, bringing back several of his established stars. The defeat to Leverkusen may sharpen the focus of those senior players, reminding them that any drop in standards, no matter the opponent, can have immediate consequences.
In the bigger picture, this setback in Guardiola’s 100th Champions League game with City might end up being one of those nights that shapes the narrative of a season. Either it becomes the turning point that wakes the team up and leads to a strong response against Madrid, or it raises deeper questions about rotation, depth and balance in the squad. For now, Guardiola has chosen to stand in front of the criticism, accept the blame and protect his players. The answer to whether he was right will come in the next few weeks, starting at the Bernabéu.
