By talal osman
Josep Guardiola, the head coach of English football club Manchester City, admitted that he made many changes and takes responsibility for his team’s 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League. Guardiola surprised everyone by making 10 changes to the lineup that lost 1-2 to Newcastle, leaving Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Gianluigi Donnarumma, among others, on a star-studded bench.
Guardiola said: "Too many changes. I always believe that in long seasons, with games every two days, everyone should participate, but maybe it was too much. Looking at the result, they played to avoid mistakes rather than playing the way we should have."
He added: "When you think about not hurting the team, you won’t be free enough to play comfortably, with or without the ball. We were close, but we weren’t aggressive enough, and they are truly a good team."
He confirmed: "I take full responsibility, but I saw them and like that everyone participates. When you’re a football player and don’t play five or six or seven matches, it becomes tough, but maybe it was exaggerated."
Guardiola confirmed that his main players would probably play with more confidence but avoided directly answering whether this performance raises questions about the squad’s depth. He said: "It’s impossible to think they aren’t good. I need every player because he is part of the group."
He added: "I felt from my instinct, from inside, that the team trained well and that the players have amazing energy. Let’s go, Champions League at home, we are in a good position."
He continued: "In the upcoming matches, we face Fulham, Sunderland, Real Madrid, and many consecutive games. We can’t always have Erling playing 95 minutes. That was a lot. This is the first time in my life I’ve done that, and I realized it was too much."
On his side, Tyrese Rinders, Manchester City player, confirmed there won’t be any panic or loss of confidence following the shocking defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. This loss ended the team’s unbeaten run in the group stage, and with a tough match approaching against Real Madrid, their chances of qualifying for the top eight spots became less clear. This was City’s second stumble in a few days, after losing to Newcastle in the league, but midfielder Rinders sees no reason for concern.
The Dutch player said: "Of course, it is frustrating, but we shouldn’t lose confidence because we performed excellently before, and we have to return to a winning streak by being ready for the next match on Saturday."
He added: "Mentally, we must be fully prepared. We know what we can do and what we have shown before. It is in our hands to do it again. Don’t lose confidence because we have a lot of quality in the team."
