At times, a well-timed substitution can change the course of a match. We have seen this occur countless times across every level of football. Last night saw Pep Guardiola make five substitutions during Manchester City’s 3-2 loss to Real Madrid.

Manchester City spent heavily on the new in January but kept faith with the old in midweek. Pep Guardiola opted not to include any of his new signings in the side to face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

For all their achievements and bursts of quality, City are now defined by their age, recurring mistakes and fragility

Some will argue that Liverpool versus Real Madrid is in fact the greatest modern-day Champions League rivalry; the two teams have played against each other seven times since 2018, including two finals and one quarter-final.

Pep Guardiola is pushing to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz ahead of Arsenal, according to reports in Germany. Wirtz played an integral role in Leverkusen’s league and cup double last season and has continued his impressive form this term with 15 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

Manchester City suffered another late collapse as they went down 3-2 to Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium last night. Individual errors once again cost Pep Guardiola’s side as they squandered a late lead to go down to a demoralising defeat.

City looked poised to arrive in the Spanish capital next week with a one-goal lead after Erling Haaland successfully converted his 80th-minute penalty following a foul on Phil Foden .