City's reserves run dry as Leverkusen stun Guardiola

For Pep Guardiola, it was a miserable milestone, a dreadful way to bring up a century.

- RICHARD JOLLY

His 100th Champions League game in charge of Manchester City ranked as one of the worst. And, poor as his players were, he recognised who was most to blame for that. Himself.

City were beaten by managerial complacency and their own lacklustre display as well as by a rather impressive Bayer Leverkusen side. As the teams third in the Premier League and the Bundesliga met, Guardiola picked his second-string side. They came off second best. It was a gamble that backfired. The regulars were rested when City’s next opponents are relegation-threatened Leeds, the decision to make 10 changes seeming needlessly odd. “Too many changes,” accepted Guardiola. “It was the first time in my life I've done it and it was too much. I take full responsibility.”

Now the consequences of a shock setback could involve a spot in the knockout playoff round that City had looked on course to bypass. “I don't anticipate what is going to happen in the future,” said Guardiola. He probably did not anticipate this. After 23 Champions League group-stage games without a loss, dating back seven years, Leverkusen emerged as the successors to Lyon, the previous conquerors of the Etihad.