City falls to Leverkusen: Guardiola accepts defeat and rotation error

Manchester City Stumbles at Home: Guardiola Takes Responsibility

Manchester City, under the direction of Pep Guardiola, suffered an unexpected home defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. Guardiola made ten changes to the starting eleven, a decision that did not yield the expected results and which the Catalan coach has acknowledged as a possible mistake. The match, which ended with a score of 0-2 in favor of the German team, showed the lack of match fitness of some City players. Guardiola, after the defeat, took full responsibility and highlighted the importance of involving all members of the squad, although he acknowledged that the strategy did not work on this occasion.

“Maybe it was too much, seeing the result. It is what it is. I take full responsibility. I like everyone to participate and when they don’t play it’s hard, but maybe it was too much”.

Pep Guardiola

The defeat against Leverkusen, added to the fall against Newcastle United in the Premier League, puts the City’s strategy in the European competition at risk. With an eye on the next match against Real Madrid, Guardiola will have to rethink his strategy to secure qualification to the next phase. The City coach chose to rest key players like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, which allowed Leverkusen to take the lead and control the match. The changes made at halftime, with the entry of players like Foden and Jérémy Doku, failed to reverse the situation.

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The defeat leaves City in a compromised position in the group stage. Guardiola will have to carefully analyze his options for the next matches and secure qualification to the next round.

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand highlighted the quality of the City team, regardless of the players who took to the field. The result leaves City in a delicate position in the table and Guardiola will have to make the right decisions to avoid further setbacks. The next challenge will be the match against Leeds United, where Guardiola is expected to line up his stars again. Guardiola will have to carefully analyze his options for the upcoming matches and secure qualification to the next round.