Manwan: I don’t understand why Guardiola risked a big rotation. He will be under pressure in the away game against Real Madrid next month.

In the fifth round of the Champions League, Manchester City lost 0-2 at home to Bayer Leverkusen, suffering their first defeat in the Champions League this season. The "Manchester Evening News" wrote an article saying that Guardiola's risky rotation failed, causing Manchester City to face a difficult situation in the competition for the top eight in the Champions League.

A few weeks ago, Guardiola discussed the importance of bouncing back from defeat, when City won four in a row after losing to Villa. They defeated Swansea in the fourth round of the League Cup, which was the beginning of their winning streak. For Guardiola, it's further proof that the team is truly back on track this season. They quickly got over the shadow of the defeat at Villa Park, which Guardiola believes laid the foundation for the next game.

Therefore, it can be said that this game against Leverkusen has the same significance as the game against Swansea at that time. Manchester City lost to Newcastle in the Premier League last weekend and they must start winning again. But rather than choose a squad that guaranteed victory, Guardiola decided to take a risk. It was an unusual move for a coach who is usually very cautious in his selections, and it backfired.

Now Manchester City has suffered two consecutive defeats, and all this seems to be avoidable. Many people were quite surprised when Manchester City announced their starting lineup. Guardiola rarely makes large-scale rotations in the Champions League unless he has guaranteed a place in the knockout rounds.

The new Champions League format may have changed the game to some extent. Manchester City has scored 10 points in the first 4 rounds, laying a solid foundation and winning a few more games will complete the task. Guardiola stressed the importance of winning at home ahead of the home game against Borussia Dortmund, so today's risk seems unnecessary.

Guardian can argue that Manchester City's schedule is too tight, but at St. James Park, he said that players like a busy schedule, and said that the team has won three crowns and four crowns at this pace. And after this Champions League game, Manchester City has three days to prepare for the game against newly promoted Leeds United. So rotating three or four guys here and then another three or four against Leeds seems like a wise choice.

But Guardiola took extreme measures. What did he want to express? He has used the same lineup for three consecutive Premier League games, giving the impression that he has identified the best starting line-up. But the defeat to Newcastle dispelled this idea. This may be Guardiola's reaction to this defeat. He sent a message to the team: no one's position is safe.

If this is a signal, it is clearly counterproductive. The positions of the 10 players who have rested will only be more stable than before this game. It is almost certain that the vast majority of them will start against Real Madrid in December, and now this matchup has become even more important.

Only after all the games in this round of the Champions League are over, Manchester City will know how much damage this defeat has caused, and they may even find themselves falling out of the top 8. Considering that we have to face Real Madrid next, this is obviously not an ideal situation.

Man City advanced to the Champions League last season through the play-offs, but immediately met Real Madrid and ended their Champions League journey early. Manchester City's goal this season is to ensure they advance directly into the last 16 and avoid two extra games. However, that goal became uncertain after a poor night at the Etihad.