Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola took the blame for his team’s shock 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, admitting his decision to overhaul the starting XI was a huge misstep.
The City boss made 10 changes from last weekend’s Premier League match, a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United, leaving out key figures such as striker Erling Haaland, who has scored 14 league goals this season. No other City player has more than one.
He quickly admitted that the gamble was excessive.
“There were too many changes,” were the first words of Guardiola’s post-match press conference.
«I believe that during the long season (matches) every two days, three days, two days, three days, everyone should be involved. But maybe it was too much to see the result,» he said. «So it’s the first time in my life I’ve done it, and it was too much. So I realized it,» Guardiola said.
The Spaniard defended his reasoning and pointed to the brutal schedule of both domestic matches and international fixtures, especially for Haaland, who carries the scoring burden for both City and Norway.
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«I felt from my instinct, from my feeling: the team is training well, they are incredible, good vibes. So let’s go, Champions League at home, we are in a good position,» Guardiola said. «And for the future, for the next games, we have Fulham, we have Sunderland, Real Madrid, many games together. We cannot play Erling for 95 minutes all the time.»
“I had the feeling that it is now three days after the (international) break, four days until March, and no one can keep this up for that long.”
Guardiola suggested Tuesday’s starters felt too much pressure.
“I think they played not to make mistakes and not to punish the team,” he said. “You are not free and relaxed.”
The loss ended City’s 23-match unbeaten home run in the group or league stages of the competition, and left them provisionally sixth in the table with 10 points after five matches. The top eight will automatically advance to the last sixteen after the eight matches of the competition phase.
City’s next Champions League match is against European giants Real Madrid on December 10. Guardiola seemed unconcerned about missing out on a place in the top eight.
“We have time (to prepare for Madrid),” he said.
Published on November 26, 2025
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