Manchester City's substitutes have recently been given few playing opportunities. After a 0-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League, perhaps Pep Guardiola will consider carefully before using them again.
The City captain made 10 changes after the 1-2 loss to Newcastle United last weekend. Guardiola said that if possible, he would make up to 11 changes, but Rodri would still be out, while Nico Gonzalez kept his position.
This player's rotation strategy was ineffective. With Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Gianluigi Donnarumma on the bench, the Bundesliga team took advantage to open the score and led 1-0 when the first half ended.
Guardiola recognized the problem in just 45 minutes. Entering the break, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis were replaced by regulars Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Nico O'Reilly.
In the second half, Man City's attack was significantly strengthened, but even Haaland's appearance could not stop Leverkusen from scoring more goals. In the end, Man City suffered their first home defeat in the Champions League group stage since 2018.
"Thousands of changes. Maybe I focus too much on the result. That's what happened. I take full responsibility. I want everyone to play, but when they don't have a chance, it's difficult. Maybe I was too much to bear. Sometimes I try to be too kind and attract people, but that way is not effective and I have to accept it" - Guardiola admitted after the match.
Guardiola's decision to make a comprehensive change is confusing. A win over Leverkusen - who lost 2-7 to PSG in October - will help ease the pressure ahead of their trip to Real Madrid next month. If they lose at the Bernabeu, like last season, Man City will have to get good results against Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in January to finish the group stage in the top 8 and go straight to the round of 16.
Looking back, Guardiola should have used a stronger squad for the Leverkusen game and made changes to the weekend's clash with Leeds United at the Etihad.
Haaland, who came on in the 65th minute, created Man City's clearest chance in the match, but his efforts were thwarted by Mark Flekken. In the end, Leverkusen won their first Champions League win in England since defeating Tottenham in 2016.
Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah shared that he was quite satisfied to only have Haaland for 25 minutes.
"They are world-class, and even the players on the pitch today are top players. It was always a difficult task when Haaland and Foden also came on. Before the match, we were missing many veteran players, but that created a lot of personality, determination and endurance for the whole team" - the former Liverpool defender said.
When asked if Guardiola underestimated Leverkusen, coach Kasper Hjulmand replied: "You shouldn't ask me that. No matter who they put on the pitch, it is still a quality team."
This result caused Man City to fall to sixth place in the rankings with 10 points after 5 matches. Guardiola is well aware of the risk if the team continues to lose points and fall out of the top 8. Especially since they finished 22nd last season and faced Real Madrid in the play-off round.
In the immediate future, he needs to choose the optimal lineup to face Leeds United, to avoid a series of 3 consecutive losses.
"Now it's Leeds. We still have 3 group stage matches and let's see what happens. I can't predict the future, but the team needs to be alert and focused on the match" - the Spanish captain added.
After the disappointing performance of the substitutes against Leverkusen, it can be believed that Guardiola will bring the strongest squad back as soon as he has the chance.
