Daijiworld Media Network - Manchester

Manchester, Nov 26: Pep Guardiola admitted full responsibility after Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, a loss that came after the manager made 10 changes to his starting lineup, including resting top scorer Erling Haaland.

City looked disjointed from the start, and Leverkusen took the lead in the 23rd minute through Alejandro Grimaldo. Patrik Schick doubled the advantage in the 54th minute, leaving City chasing a game that never looked within their control. Guardiola made three substitutions at halftime, acknowledging that his initial selection had gone wrong, but even the introduction of Haaland later in the match could not turn things around.

“It was too much,” Guardiola said. “The first time in my life I’ve done it, and it was too much.”

The defeat followed City’s loss to Newcastle in the Premier League over the weekend, adding pressure ahead of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid on December 10. Haaland, who has scored 22 goals for club and country this season, was left out of the starting lineup for the first time in the Champions League or Premier League this year.

“You never know what would happen with other players,” Guardiola said. “We cannot play Erling 95 minutes every game.”

Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand praised his team’s performance, saying they executed their plan well regardless of City’s rotation.

The setback marked City’s fifth defeat in all competitions this season and leaves their group position vulnerable ahead of next month’s match in Madrid.