Guardiola is singled out as the only culprit for City’s Champions League fiasco Por Carolina Costa
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The English press harshly criticized coach Pep Guardiola after Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, at home, in the league phase of the Champions League 2025/26. The Spanish coach chose to leave starters such as Erling Haaland, Phil Furlong, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri on the bench from the start of the match on Tuesday night (25). The choice resulted in a lackluster performance from the team and eliminated any chance of a reaction against the German team.
The result left City in sixth place in the Champions table, at risk of falling into the playoffs to reach the round of 16. The match marked Guardiola’s 100th game in the continental competition ahead of the English club.
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Reserve lineup generates revolt
Several vehicles highlighted that the lineup with nine changes in relation to the usual starting lineup compromised performance. Manchester City failed to create clear chances and conceded goals from Patrik Schick and Florian Wirtz in the first half.
The newspaper Mirror classified the decision as a transition “from disappointment to humiliation”. Já the portal Goal considered that Guardiola “dishonored” the main European competition by prioritizing Campeonato Inglês.
History of similar reviews
Excessive changes in the lineup had already drawn criticism last season. In 2024/25, City suffered early eliminations in knockout rounds when Guardiola rotated the squad in decisive games.
- Daily Mail recalled defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool with reserve teams
- The Sun pointed to Guardiola as the “clear and sole culprit” of Tuesday’s setback
- Independent defined the option as “shooting himself in the foot” in the coach’s 100th game at Champions
Repercussion among fans and analysts
On social media, City fans expressed dissatisfaction with the priority given to the domestic calendar. Analistas English questioned whether physical exhaustion justifies sparing so many starters in a direct confrontation for classification.
The defeat interrupted Manchester City’s run of seven games without losing in all competitions. The team now has two defeats in the last four official matches.
City’s next appointments
Manchester City returns to the field on Saturday (29) against Leeds United, for Premier League, at Etihad Stadium. Na Champions, the next duel will be away from home against Juventus, on December 10th.
The club occupies third place in the Campeonato Inglês, with 28 points in 13 rounds. Na European competition, the team has 10 points in six games played.
Situation in the league stage
The new league phase of Champions directly classifies the top eight. Teams from 9th to 24th place compete in playoffs to define the remaining places in the round of 16.
Bayer Leverkusen moved up to fourth place with the triumph. City appears in sixth, but can be overtaken until the end of the round.
Numbers from Guardiola to Champions
Pep Guardiola reached 100 games in Liga of Campeões for Manchester City with 63 wins, 18 draws and 19 defeats. The current utilization is 69%.
The coach won the competition in 2022/23, the club’s first title in history. Desde then, City did not advance beyond the quarterfinals.
