Manchester City return to Premier League action against Leeds today, Saturday, November 29, 2025, at 3:00 PM UK time (BST) at the Etihad Stadium, but the focus heading into the match has been on Pep Guardiola’s midweek rotation. After making ten changes in the Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, Guardiola faced familiar accusations of “overthinking,” and he didn’t hide from the topic in his latest press conference.
The City boss admitted he knew the risks of rotating so heavily.
“I take full responsibility,” he said. “When I make ten changes, I know the consequences are going to be bad. I know it. It happened.”
He explained that sticking with his usual key players would have been the safer choice.
“It is easy for me to put the same players, shrug my shoulders, and go with Erling, Ruben, and Bernardo. No problems.”
But Guardiola also made it clear that decisions like these are part of what managers are expected to do, especially in a crowded schedule. He acknowledged the poor performance too, saying the team lacked courage in possession.“We played with the handbrake on,” he said. “Not enough risk, not enough bravery.”
Still, he refused to blame the players.
“I know my consequences,” he said. “But I’ve done it many times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
When asked about his “overthinking,” Guardiola didn’t shy away.
“People say he always thinks too much. That is fine,” he replied. “Do you think thinking is a problem? As a human being? When I think a lot, and it works, after that I’m a genius.”
To support his point, he referenced his decision to play Rico Lewis in a previous Champions League match.
“Do you think I don’t know people will say ‘what is Pep doing’ if it goes wrong? But Rico played and was man of the match. Sometimes these things must be done.”
Whether you call it overthinking or smart planning, City will be counting on Guardiola’s ideas when they face Leeds at the Etihad. Now we wait to see the result.
