Pep Guardiola rolled the dice and watched them fall off the table, as his heavily rotated Manchester City were booed off the pitch after a shocking 2–0 Champions League home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. In a lineup that looked more like a preseason experiment than a European clash, Guardiola benched Haaland, Dias, Bernardo, and Donnarumma, and paid the price.

Leverkusen wasted no time exposing City’s weakened core, with Alex Grimaldo firing the Germans ahead before Patrik Schick finished the job after halftime. By the time the final whistle blew, Etihad fans were fuming, and Guardiola’s “trust-the-squad” speech no longer sounded inspirational.

For the first time in 24 Champions League home games since 2018, Manchester City tasted group-stage defeat. And for the first time in a long while, Guardiola looked like he had miscalculated badly.

It was also City’s second straight loss following Saturday’s 2–1 slump against Newcastle. With four Premier League defeats already this season and the gap to leaders Arsenal widening, City suddenly look… human.

While the defeat doesn’t destroy their qualification hopes, it does send a message: Guardiola’s backups aren’t nearly as bulletproof as he thought. His 100th Champions League match in charge of City will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, especially compared to the 62 wins and the historic 2023 Champions League triumph in his first 99 games.

Just days earlier, Guardiola admitted he felt “embarrassed and ashamed” after clashing with a cameraman in the chaotic loss at Newcastle. After this flat performance, his players might want to borrow those same words.

For three straight matches, Guardiola stuck with the same starting XI, but he ripped up his script on Tuesday, making TEN changes. A hectic December schedule, including a looming showdown with Real Madrid, appeared to influence his decision. But if this was a test run for squad depth… the reserves failed spectacularly.

AFP