5 Things We Learned from Manchester City’s 2-0 Defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
- Lewis Walkden
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Manchester City fell to a disappointing 2–0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night, a result made even more frustrating given the scale of Pep Guardiola’s rotation. The manager made ten changes to the lineup, and it showed immediately: City were poor across all areas of the pitch.
1. Too Many Changes
Guardiola’s decision to overhaul the team with ten changes proved costly. The lack of rhythm was glaring from the first whistle. Pep attempted to correct things with a triple substitution at half-time, bringing on Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Nico O’Reilly in the 46th minute, followed by Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki in the 65th. But these changes arrived too little too late, and in hindsight, several of these players may have needed to start to provide quality and stability. Guardiola himself admitted the miscalculation after the match: “I accept maybe it's a lot… playing every 3–4 days... But yeah maybe it's too much, you're right. Seeing the result, maybe too much.”
2. Savinho’s Confidence Problem
It was another subdued performance from Savinho, who continues to look short on belief. Instead of using his pace and directness effectively, he repeatedly overcomplicated situations - running into blind alleys, taking unnecessary touches and losing the ball cheaply. There were even a couple of moments where he slipped over, reflecting not only a lack of composure but a player who seems to be second-guessing himself. City need their wide players to be decisive, but Savinho looked anything but. The hope is that his confidence returns soon, because right now he appears far from ready to influence games at this level.
3. Lack of Striker Options Without Haaland
City’s attacking limitations without Erling Haaland were exposed once again, and Tuesday’s performance reinforced the need for a reliable alternative. Omar Marmoush, recently brought in to add depth, has shown he can do a good job as a striker, but it’s already clear that he thrives best alongside Haaland rather than replacing him. As a lone No. 9, he doesn’t offer the same physical presence or penalty-box dominance, and City’s build-up play loses its focal point.
4. City Need Wingers Who Can Produce - Start Jeremy Doku
One of the biggest takeaways is City’s need for wingers who can consistently generate goals and assists. Jeremy Doku has shown he can be that player. He shined recently for Belgium in the World Cup qualifiers, producing a goal and two assists against Liechtenstein. He also scored against Dortmund in City's last UCL game at the Etihad. If City want genuine attacking threat from wide areas, Doku has to be used from the start more often.
5. Defensive Issues Persist - January Reinforcements Needed
Defensively, City were far from convincing. Bayer Leverkusen found it too easy to progress through the thirds, and the backline lacked the usual control and physical authority. Nathan Aké, normally one of the most reliable performers in the squad, looked unusually vulnerable, and the rest of the defence followed suit with uncharacteristic lapses in positioning and intensity. With ongoing injuries and rotation exposing the lack of depth, Tuesday’s performance highlighted that defensive reinforcements may be essential in January. Whether it’s a centre-back or a full-back, City need fresh stability at the back if they are to avoid similar collapses as the season intensifies.
