'maybe It Was Too Much' - Guardiola Rues Defeat After 10 Changes

Pep Guardiola celebrated taking complaint of Manchester City for nan 100th clip successful nan Champions League connected Tuesday, but it was Bayer Leverkusen and their fans that were near dancing astatine full-time.

The Bundesliga broadside would person been expecting a reliable evening upon their delayed presence successful England, but it turned into a memorable 2-0 victory to time off Guardiola stunned connected his milestone moment.

The Spaniard said successful Monday's pre-match news convention that location had been "more disappointments than bully moments" for himself and City successful Europe's elite nine title and this was different of those lows.

The conclusion was self-inflicted - Guardiola gambled pinch his starting line-up by making 10 changes to nan broadside that mislaid astatine Newcastle connected Saturday and nan determination backfired successful spectacular fashion.

"I person to judge it," Guardiola told TNT Sport of immoderate disapproval to nan number of changes. "If we triumph it wouldn't beryllium a problem truthful I person to judge it that possibly it's a lot."

The Spaniard added: "I ever had nan belief of nan agelong play and everyone had to beryllium progressive but possibly it was excessively much. They played not to make mistakes alternatively of doing what we had to do.

"It was not nan capacity that we thought. I return afloat responsibility. We missed something. We missed an unthinkable opportunity and now we request to conflict successful nan adjacent games."

Leverkusen leader Kasper Hjulmand said of City's line-up: "It is simply a very tight programme for each teams. The normal rotation (number of changes) for a Champions League squad is 5.5 players but nary matter who they put connected nan transportation is simply a value team."

A problem pinch luggage successful Germany meant nan level carrying nan Leverkusen squad had to return to nan departure gross connected Monday afternoon, delaying their presence successful Manchester.

A time later, City's glut of alterations connected matchday near 1 elder personnel of Bayer Leverkusen's unit - successful his ain words - "shocked", telling BBC Sport they had made owed preparations for nan title but were not expecting that peculiar line-up.

Another unit personnel pointed to cardinal players specified arsenic defender Edmond Tapsoba, erstwhile Real Madrid man Lucas Vazquez and Argentine duo Exequiel Palacios and Equi Fernandez being unavailable arsenic a motion that they whitethorn struggle successful nan game, pinch six players from nan under-19 broadside named connected nan bench.

Star man and extremity instrumentality Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki were each substitutes for City successful nan opening play and erstwhile later called upon they were yet incapable to execute a rescue enactment successful nan 2nd half.

Omar Marmoush grounded to return his chance up beforehand and attempted to rouse a location crowd that were often arsenic level arsenic nan team, while Savinho and Oscar Bobb were some connected nan periphery of nan game.

City were slow, ponderous and nan changes near them disjointed and this could extremity up being a damaging conclusion successful nan title - nan nonaccomplishment intends they caput to European giants Real Madrid connected 10 December nether unit to get immoderate benignant of result.

"They tried to do it [perform] but erstwhile you are successful a large squad you person to show off," said Guardiola. "Everyone - [including] nan guys who came from nan chair - were nan same. Every changeable was blocked, they slipped 10 times.

"Maybe pinch nan players who played regularly lately, possibly we would person had confidence. I ever for illustration to beryllium excessively bully and impact everyone because I person nan emotion aft nan world break location are games each 3 aliases 4 days hopefully and location is nary quality being tin prolong that."

Guardiola became conscionable nan 3rd head to return complaint of 100 aliases much Champions League games for an English squad aft Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, but nan landmark juncture was 1 to forget.

"The connection from a batch of group will be, why didn't you play a stronger team?" asked erstwhile City midfielder Michael Brown connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "Win nan crippled and past make nan changes, that is what group will say.

"There was almost an anticipation that it was conscionable going to beryllium regular but what it did do pinch those changes was springiness that distant broadside a monolithic lift. If you're stepping connected to nan transportation looking crossed you'd beryllium reasoning we've sewage a awesome chance pinch each those players sat connected nan bench. That gave them nan belief.

"That said, you still consciousness for illustration nan capacity could person been a batch amended from City pinch nan players they had."

Skipper Alejandro Grimaldo's rasping onslaught and Patrik Schick's towering 2nd half header gave Leverkusen a daze victory.

Led by nan drummer and instrumentality equipped pinch a microphone, nan travelling supporters and players celebrated their celebrated triumph together astatine nan end.

"We are truthful happy pinch this triumph but besides nan characteristic we showed," said Danish leader Hjulmand. "This is simply a nighttime to retrieve and a substance for our development.

"We did very well, played pinch a batch of courageousness and a batch of calm connected nan ball. We had moments wherever we needed luck and a very bully keeper.

"Three points present astatine City is not thing you tin expect."

Former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah added: "it's an unbelievable emotion because coming into tonight, we had a batch of elder players who were absent.

"The measurement nan boys managed to benignant of propulsion done – everyone led coming and I deliberation that's what we needed: a batch of character, a batch of determination and grit."