Pep Guardiola’s rotation roulette spectacularly misfired as an under strength Manchester City slumped to a 2–0 home defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
In a surprise move that raised eyebrows across the Etihad, Guardiola rested the bulk of his senior stars Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Gianluigi Donnarumma among those left out and paid the price as City’s fringe players delivered a flat, error strewn performance.
Alex Grimaldo’s first half strike and a close range Patrik Schick header after the interval sealed the win for the Bundesliga champions, prompting boos at full time as City suffered their first home defeat in the Champions League group stage since 2018, ending a 24 match unbeaten run.
The loss follows Saturday’s 2–1 reverse at Newcastle, marking back to back defeats for the first time this season. City have now been beaten four times in the Premier League, slipping seven points behind leaders Arsenal and this latest setback will do little to ease growing concerns over form and squad depth.
A Flat 100th for Guardiola
This was Guardiola’s 100th Champions League match as City boss but unlike many of the previous 99, which brought 62 wins and the club’s historic 2023 European crown, this milestone will be remembered for the wrong reasons.
Guardiola made 10 changes to the side that had started each of the previous three games, a rare gamble perhaps influenced by a brutal December schedule that includes two matches a week and a daunting trip to Real Madrid in their next European outing.
But the reshuffle backfired instantly. City controlled possession yet lacked any sharpness in the final third, and their defensive organisation was repeatedly found wanting.
City’s Frailties Exposed
City nearly snatched an early lead when Nathan Aké forced a brilliant save from Mark Flekken, but the warning signs soon followed. With 23 minutes gone, Leverkusen cut through a statuesque defence as Malik Tillman and Christian Kofane combined to tee up Grimaldo, who rifled a low drive beyond James Trafford.
Guardiola’s frustration was clear as he berated Abdukodir Khusanov for his sluggish attempt to close down the Spaniard.
Omar Marmoush battled unsuccessfully to replicate Haaland’s presence, while Oscar Bobb almost forced a freak equaliser with a deflected cross kept out by Flekken. Just before the break, Tijjani Reijnders squandered City’s best opening, firing tamely at the goalkeeper.
At half time, Guardiola introduced Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly, and the latter nearly made an instant impact with a long range strike. Yet the defensive frailty persisted, and Leverkusen doubled the lead on 54 minutes as Ibrahim Maza whipped in a superb cross for Schick to outmuscle Aké and steer a header home.
Haaland’s Struggles Continue
Marmoush missed a gilt edged chance to halve the deficit before Haaland was finally summoned from the bench. But the Norwegian’s recent slump continued. After scuffing big chances at Newcastle, he miscontrolled a golden opportunity here, allowing Flekken to smother when the goal beckoned.
City huffed and puffed but never truly looked capable of mounting a comeback, and the final whistle was met with simmering frustration around the Etihad.
A bruised Guardiola will know the message is clear: his second string side are not yet the ruthless, reliable unit he needs for another gruelling European campaign.
