By Francis Onyach - Reporter
UK, 26 November 2025 – Pep Guardiola has shouldered full responsibility for Manchester City’s 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, conceding that making ten changes to his starting eleven proved a costly misjudgement.
With Erling Haaland among the high-profile absentees rested, City fielded a heavily altered side as Guardiola sought to manage a demanding schedule that includes forthcoming fixtures against Fulham, Sunderland, and Real Madrid.
The Spaniard acknowledged that overhauling the team to such an extent disrupted rhythm and confidence in a match of this magnitude.
“I take complete responsibility,” Guardiola said afterwards.
“It was too much. The performance was not what we expected, and we wasted a huge opportunity.”
Leverkusen capitalised fully on City’s unfamiliar line-up. Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick scored the decisive goals as the German visitors ended City’s remarkable 23-match unbeaten home run in the Champions League league phase and earlier group stages.
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Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession in the opening period, City struggled to fashion clear-cut opportunities.
Second-half substitutions failed to shift the momentum, with Guardiola noting that his players appeared cautious and overly preoccupied with avoiding errors rather than expressing their usual flair.
The result marks back-to-back defeats for the Premier League champions, following their 2-1 loss at Newcastle United last weekend, and leaves their position in the Champions League group less secure, although Guardiola remains relaxed about their prospects of reaching the knockout rounds.
With a pivotal encounter against Real Madrid on the horizon, striking the correct balance between rotation and continuity has rarely felt more critical for Manchester City.
