Manchester City’s reserve players have had little playing time lately, and following their 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League, it may be some time before head coach Pep Guardiola turns to them again.
In response to the 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday, Guardiola made 10 changes to his lineup. He would have made 11 if not for the absence of Rodri, forcing Nico González to retain his place.
The decision backfired. With stars like Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the bench, Leverkusen capitalized on a tentative City side, scoring first and heading into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
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Guardiola recognized the need for change at halftime, substituting Rayan Aït-Nouri, Oscar Bobb, and Rico Lewis for regulars Foden, Jérémy Doku, and Nico O’Reilly. Yet, even Haaland’s entry couldn’t prevent Leverkusen from scoring a second goal, marking City’s first home defeat in the Champions League group stage or league play since 2018.
“Too many changes,” Guardiola admitted afterwards.
“Maybe it was too much, given the outcome. I take full responsibility. I want everyone to feel included, but perhaps I was too accommodating.”
Guardiola’s decision to overhaul the lineup was surprising. A victory against Leverkusen—which had suffered a heavy 7-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain earlier—would have alleviated pressure ahead of their upcoming match against Real Madrid. If City falters at the Bernabéu, which they markedly did last season, they will need favorable outcomes against Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in January to secure a top-eight finish and a direct spot in the last-16.
In hindsight, it may have been wiser for Guardiola to field a stronger team against Leverkusen and reserve the rotations for the upcoming match against Leeds United. The fringe players who faced the Bundesliga side could find their positions at risk when the Premier League resumes on Saturday. Aït-Nouri, who made only his second start since August, appeared out of sorts from the outset.
His mishap allowed Alejandro Grimaldo to score the opening goal through the legs of Abdukodir Khusanov, who also made only one prior start in the last two months. Aït-Nouri, signed this summer from Wolves for £31 million, was substituted at halftime as the game did not improve and shortly after, Patrik Schick headed in Leverkusen’s second goal.
Haaland, introduced in the 65th minute, was City’s most significant threat, but his attempt was saved by Mark Flekken as Leverkusen claimed their first Champions League victory in England since defeating Tottenham in 2016.
There was a notable sentiment in England defender Jarell Quansah‘s post-match comments—that he was relieved to have only encountered Haaland for 25 minutes.
“They have world-class talent, and even the players who started tonight are top-tier,” remarked the former Liverpool member. “It was always going to be challenging with Haaland and Foden coming on.”
“It’s an incredible feeling, especially given that many key players were missing. We needed strength, character, and resilience,” he added.
When asked if Guardiola had underestimated Leverkusen, head coach Kasper Hjulmand responded, “You shouldn’t ask me that. Regardless of who takes the field, they are a quality team.”
This defeat leaves City sitting sixth in the league phase table with 10 points from five matches. Guardiola is acutely aware of the risks associated with falling out of the top eight, particularly after finishing 22nd last season and facing Real Madrid in the playoff round. He will want to prevent a similar scenario this time.
Aston Villa ended up eighth last season with 16 points, so City still controls its destiny. However, Guardiola must choose the right lineup against Leeds to avoid a third consecutive loss.
“Next up is Leeds,” he stated. “We still have three league phase games ahead of us and we’ll see what transpires. I can’t predict the future. We need to reset our minds and prepare for Leeds.”
Given how his reserve players fared against Leverkusen, it’s likely Guardiola will revert to his star players at the earliest opportunity.