Guardiola Defends Khusanov After Tough City Debut, Sees Growth

Pep Guardiola has defended Manchester City’s new signing, Abdukodir Khusanov, after a tough debut in their win over Chelsea. The young defender, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £33.8m, had a tough start but was reassured by his manager that such moments are part of the learning curve.

Khusanov’s first couple of minutes in City colors were far from a joyride as his atrocious back-header helped Chelsea score through Noni Madueke in the third minute of play. It could get worse, and it did just two minutes later when he was booked for a tackle on Cole Palmer. Guardiola, however, was quick to see beyond these incidents, vouching that these challenges are important steps towards becoming a solid player for young players.

It is not easy for him. He trains once and then has to play against Jackson, Cole, Madueke, and Sancho. The process when you buy a player this young is a long one. He will learn. These kinds of actions are the best lesson you can take,” Guardiola was optimistic in his critique of the Uzbek’s performance. The City boss also added the language problem, saying, “He doesn’t speak English, so I didn’t speak to him. He’ll be fine. He only had one or two training sessions.”

Pep
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Guardiola also explained why he started Khusanov despite the player’s limited preparation. “I didn’t want to push John Stones, who is returning from injury, especially with Wednesday’s game against Club Brugge in mind.”

While Khusanov’s shaky start had drawn attention, his teammates rallied around him to support him, showing the collective spirit that has been pivotal to City’s success. Erling Haaland praised the response from the team, playing an integral role in coming back into it. “I think it was overall a great performance even though we started horrific,” he admitted. “A fantastic team performance – I am really happy.””

City’s resilience saw them overturn Chelsea’s early advantage. Josko Gvardiol restored parity in the 42nd minute before second-half goals from Haaland and Phil Foden sealed a commanding win. The victory propelled City to fourth place, just three points behind Nottingham Forest. Guardiola acknowledged the importance of the result, saying, “Now we’re closer to Nottingham, but Bournemouth are on an impressive run.”

Despite City’s victory, Chelsea did have their share of problems to deal with, especially between the posts. Robert Sánchez was on the receiving end of all the wrong attention as he was exposed out of position for Haaland’s goal that allowed the striker to lobbed finish. Nonetheless, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca defended his goalkeeper. “We trust Robert for sure, but at the same time, he is aware that he is making mistakes,” Maresca acknowledged. “We continue to trust Robert, but we have an entire week to see his reaction and decide for the next games.”

Chelsea’s recent form has been cause for concern, with just one win in their last seven Premier League matches. Despite this, Maresca remains optimistic about his side’s progress. “In my opinion, we’re a better team than one month ago,” he said. “These kinds of games are going to make us better. We need to live through these experiences. We can be third or sixth – every game can change things slightly. We’re focused and trying to improve game by game.”

This might have been baptism by fire for Khusanov, but history has it that such experiences usually forge the careers of top defenders. Many greats of the game have endured tough introductions before becoming mainstays in their teams. Guardiola believes in the youngster, and with time, he may prove to be a good asset for City.

The atmosphere in the Manchester City dressing room is always loud and endowed with team bonding, and it will definitely help Khusanov over his early struggles. Players under Guardiola have always been supporting newcomers to make sure that they feel integral to the team regardless of the issues that come their way. The manager himself has a history of nurturing young talent and Khusanov’s case is no different.

The depth in the defensive setup will also see Guardiola avoid overwhelming expectations on Khusanov. With players like John Stones, Ruben Dias, and Kyle Walker to share duties, the 20-year-old will have a sense of learning from the very best out there. His ability to recover from this harsh start will be defined by how quickly he will adapt to the demands of the Premier League.

On the other side, Chelsea’s woes continue with pressure mounting to Maresca. Though the manager feels that progress is being made, it will be results that determine his future. A few more run of games will determine whether Chelsea is going to change the dynamics or make things worst for themselves.

For now, City will take confidence from their latest win, knowing that even in adversity, they have the quality to prevail. For Khusanov, though, his journey at the Etihad is only just beginning. If he heeds Guardiola’s words and uses this experience as a stepping stone, his debut might soon be remembered not for its mistakes but for the lessons that set him on the path to success.

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