Manchester City 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen: No respite for Pep after resting first team for Champions League tie
Guardiola was asking for trouble when he made ten changes to his Manchester City side for this tie, although understandably from the side beaten at Newcastle at the weekend. He also rested senior players Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and Gianluigi Donnarumma. The plan was to protect legs ahead of a busy December.
But it also meant that City delivered one of their flattest performances of the season. Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick scored either side of half-time to give the Bayer Leverkusen a deserved win, and City were unable to find any rhythm despite a late push once the cavalry was called from the bench.
The defeat ends City’s long unbeaten run at home in the Champions League group stage, and with Real Madrid away up next their place in the competition’s top eight is suddenly at risk.
City had the first opening of the game through Nathan Ake but after Leverkusen had weathered the early storm, the rusty group in Guardiola’s forward line struggled to carry any threat.
Leverkusen moved in front midway through the first half. A quick move down the right ended with Ibrahim Maza sending over a cross, Christian Kofane cushioning the ball back, and Grimaldo drilled into the bottom corner. City struggled to respond and the little that Oscar Bobb and Tijjani Reijnders managed before the break was comfortably saved by Mark Flekken.
Guardiola introduced Foden, Doku and Nico O’Reilly at half-time to lift the tempo, but it changed little. Leverkusen doubled their lead six minutes before the hour when Maza again found time to cross and Schick got across Ake to glance a header beyond James Trafford.
Haaland entered the game shortly after the hour and had a good chance but Flekken was on hand. Leverkusen kept their heads. The game was over before it ended.
