Manchester City’s 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen felt eerily similar to the early-season wobble that cost them last year. With Rodri absent from the midfield, City were exposed to the fast breaks that created both goals, and Leverkusen should have added more. The attack never fully compensated for defensive lapses.
This was far from a full-strength XI: Erling Haaland began on the bench and Pep Guardiola made nine changes, later admitting “maybe ten changes was too much.” Rotation has long been one of Guardiola’s strengths — the ability to rest figures such as Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, John Stones and Ilkay Gundogan without a big drop in quality — but this group no longer looked interchangeable at the same level. Even with several regular internationals in the side, the substitutes and squad options didn’t maintain City’s usual standard.
Dependence on Haaland was underlined again. City’s brightest spell arrived in the 25 minutes after he came on; his personal xG of 0.62 was the highest on the pitch despite limited time. That kind of rescue act is valuable, but it isn’t a sustainable strategy when the players beyond the starting XI are erratic across a congested schedule.
Guardiola may be forced into clearer prioritisation. The chopping of the team suggested Saturday’s league trip to Leeds was being protected — in a season where Arsenal lead by a sizeable margin — but a home defeat to Leverkusen shifts the calculus. With a daunting trip to Real Madrid looming and the risk of jeopardising a direct knockout spot, the Champions League could demand greater focus soon. Missing automatic qualification would only add midweek fixtures in an already crowded February and intensify the strain.
The underlying problem is fixture congestion and injury exposure: every squad is being tested, and City’s depth looks thin when asked to sustain elite levels across weekend and midweek games. By contrast, Arsenal under Mikel Arteta appears better stocked across positions, able to rotate between options such as Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard, and to field multiple credible attacking and defensive backups.
Guardiola’s selection choices and the Leverkusen result underline a growing worry: the elite XI still looks formidable, but the supporting cast may no longer be deep enough to sustain that excellence throughout a packed season. Addressing that gap will be crucial before winter fixtures accumulate.