Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola unleashed a fiery critique of his players following their underwhelming 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, accusing them of failing to show initiative during the match.
Rotated Squad Comes Under Fire
The Spanish tactician made 10 changes to his starting lineup but was left frustrated by what he described as overly cautious play from his reserve squad. "They played not to make mistakes rather than to make things happen," Guardiola stated during his post-match press conference.
"We didn't try. Simple as that. They played to 'don't make mistakes' instead of 'I'm going to do something' - and that makes football so difficult."
Injury Concerns Mount
City's midfield anchor Rodri remains sidelined with a hamstring injury and will miss Saturday's Premier League clash against Leeds United. Guardiola confirmed the Spaniard's continued absence with terse responses when pressed for updates.
Title Race Pressure Builds
With league leaders Arsenal holding a seven-point advantage over City after just 12 matches, Guardiola acknowledged the growing gap but refused to dwell on title race implications. "I know the distance is already there," he admitted, while emphasizing focus on the immediate challenge against Leeds.
The City boss did offer a rare moment of levity when questioned about his squad rotation policy, joking about maintaining his "beautiful person" demeanor despite the poor result. However, Sky Sports analyst Ben Ransom predicts Guardiola will revert to his first-choice lineup as City seek to regain momentum in domestic competition.
This defeat marks City's second consecutive loss after last week's Premier League setback against Newcastle United, raising questions about squad depth and performance levels ahead of a critical December fixture schedule.
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