Pep Guardiola sharply criticized his Manchester City players for a lack of effort and confidence following their Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen, admitting his heavy rotation backfired and provided a crucial lesson for his future management decisions.
Pep Guardiola delivered a harsh critique of his heavily rotated Manchester City side following their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, accusing his players of lacking confidence and failing to take risks.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has delivered a “damning verdict” on his squad’s performance after a disappointing 2-0 Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad, according to a report from Tyrone Marshall in the Manchester Evening News.
Guardiola made 10 changes to the team that faced the Bundesliga side, a heavy rotation he has never previously implemented when qualification wasn’t secured.
The Catalan coach now suggests this approach backfired, resulting in a “meek performance” that saw his side outplayed and left them outside the top eight in the Champions League table.
The manager’s criticism was focused on the attitude of the players he brought into the team, accusing them of lacking confidence and playing it too safe.
He drew a distinction between this performance and a previous loss, noting he was not “very disappointed about Newcastle,” but was about the Leverkusen game “because of my decisions and because we didn’t try, it’s as simple as that.”
Guardiola emphasized the necessity of risk and endeavor in football, leaving no doubt about his frustration:
“We didn’t try and in football when you play on the green you have to try things and we didn’t try… I think they played not to make mistakes, not to play to do something.
That is so difficult. In football, you have to play defensive and offensive and you have to try. They played to be safe, to not make mistakes and that’s why it’s so difficult.”
He admitted the game was a personal learning experience. “Maybe I think higher of them than they think about themselves. It was a good lesson for me, as experienced as I am as a manager it was a good lesson for me for the future,” Guardiola added.
Nico Gonzalez, the only player retained from the starting XI against Newcastle, is set to keep his place against Leeds, with Rodri still sidelined with a hamstring issue.