Manchester City endured a disappointing Champions League night, falling 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen after Pep Guardiola made significant lineup changes, with many players struggling to perform and receiving poor ratings.
Manager Pep Guardiola opted for extensive rotation, making ten changes from the previous match, a decision that resulted in a disjointed and sluggish performance from the heavily altered side.
Leverkusen capitalized on defensive errors, scoring through Alejandro Grimaldo in the first half and Patrik Schick in the second, securing a comfortable victory.
City’s attacking efforts were largely impotent, even with the introduction of high-profile substitutes, leaving many fringe players having failed to seize their opportunity.
Player Ratings and Performance Breakdown
The following is a review of the Manchester City starting eleven against Bayer Leverkusen, with scores out of 10.
Goalkeeper
James Trafford — 5/10
The goalkeeper could not be faulted directly for either of the two goals conceded. However, his overall display was unconvincing, and he struggled on several occasions with his distribution from the back, marking a poor night for the young shot-stopper.
Defenders
John Stones — 6/10
As the most assured figure in the backline, Stones provided a solid enough outing as the team’s captain. He managed his defensive duties adequately and demonstrated composure in circulating the ball under pressure. Despite being the best of the defenders, he was unable to influence the game by driving forward.
Abdukodir Khusanov — 5/10
The defender displayed moments of clean technique and control but was noticeably loose in the build-up that allowed Leverkusen to score their opener. His lack of impact contributed to his inevitable substitution as the team desperately sought to change the momentum.
Nathan Aké — 4/10
Aké appeared severely lacking in match sharpness, looking rusty throughout the contest. He was directly culpable for the goals conceded, being beaten far too easily by Patrik Schick for Leverkusen’s second. He was one of the two players deemed “extremely poor” for failing to match the speed of the match.
Rayan Ait-Nouri — 4/10
The full-back endured a difficult evening, contributing to the defensive chaos by being caught out of position for the initial goal. His performance was marred by too many sloppy touches and misdirected passes, classifying him as the second of the two most disappointing performers.
Midfielders
Rico Lewis — 5/10
Lewis struggled significantly to impose himself on the game, often overwhelmed by Leverkusen’s dynamic midfield. He was withdrawn at half-time as part of a triple substitution aimed at salvaging the poor first-half display.
Nico Gonzalez — 6/10
The sole player to retain his starting spot from the weekend loss, Gonzalez proved the most reliable in the midfield unit. He performed steadily, avoiding any major errors, and is expected to retain his place for the upcoming fixtures.
Tijjani Reijnders — 5/10
He had a brief moment of quality right before the interval, nearly drawing City level, but the midfielder was largely ineffective. His performance was consistent with the general dire nature of the first 45 minutes from the home side.
Attackers
Oscar Bobb — 5/10
Despite showing some eagerness early on and helping to set up a chance for Aké, Bobb struggled to inject any decisive quality into the final third. He failed to stamp his authority on the game and create the “magic moment” City needed.
Omar Marmoush — 5/10
Positioned as a central forward, Marmoush had an ineffective night. He failed to provide the necessary threat or presence required to breach the opposition’s strong defense.
Savinho — 5/10
The winger was unable to provide enough direct threat or incisiveness against the opposing full-back, resulting in a below-par performance that was symptomatic of the entire forward unit’s lack of coherence and drive.