Coach Pep Guardiola admits 'rotation gamble' backfired in shock defeat to Leverkusen

TPO - Man City coach Pep Guardiola took full responsibility after the unexpected 0-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, admitting that changing almost the entire starting lineup was an "over-the-top gamble".

In his 100th Champions League match as Man City manager, Pep Guardiola saw his side struggle to cope with the quick transitions of their German opponents. Alejandro Grimaldo opened the scoring for Leverkusen in the 23rd minute with a low shot into the far corner, before Patrik Schick sealed the win with a powerful header in the 54th minute.

The Spaniard made 10 changes to the starting lineup from the 2-1 Premier League loss to Newcastle United last weekend, leaving out several key players, including Erling Haaland, who has scored 14 goals in the league this season. No Man City player has scored more than one goal.

Immediately after the match, coach Guardiola admitted: “I changed too much. I believe that with the long season, playing every 2-3 days, everyone has to be used. But maybe this time I went too far, looking at the results. This is the first time in my life I have done that, and it was really too much. I have realized that."

He explained the decision to rotate to ease the load on the pillars before the tight schedule: “I felt that the team was training well, the spirit was good. So I thought: 'Okay, Champions League at home, we are in a good position'. Looking ahead, there are Fulham, Sunderland, Real Madrid… too many games in a row. You can't let Erling play 95 minutes forever."

Coach Guardiola believes that the starting players are under psychological pressure so they do not play at their best: "They play with the fear of making mistakes, of causing harm to the team. When that happens, they cannot be comfortable and free."

This defeat ended Man City's 23-match unbeaten run at home in the Champions League. After 5 matches, Man City temporarily ranked 6th with 10 points, while only 8 teams after the group stage won tickets to the next round.

Man City will have a challenging away trip to Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid on December 10. Guardiola is confident about his chances of winning: "We still have time to prepare for Real Madrid. We will fight with all our might."

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hlv-pep-guardiola-thua-nhan-canh-bac-xoao-tua-phan-tac-dung-trong-tran-thua-soc-leverkusen-post1799555.tpo