Abdukodir Khusanov was handed his Manchester City debut by Pep Guardiola, but he endured a disastrous evening and was lucky his side bounced back to beat Chelsea 3-1
Abdukodir Khusanov of Manchester City walks past Pep Guardiola
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By
Andy DunnChief Sports Writer
- 19:37, 25 Jan 2025
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After Pep Guardiola ended Abdukodir Khusanov’s 54 minutes of torture, he gave the young man a big hug.
It was the least he could do. After all, no matter how many defenders were injured, putting Khusanov straight into a defence that has been exposed time and time again this season was not a gamble, it was illogical.
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But then again, in a footballing sense, Guardiola appears not to have been thinking straight for quite a while. It has often been said it takes a long time to become accustomed to the demands and philosophies of the City manager yet he gave Khusanov – and Omar Marmoush – about 10 minutes.
Sure, there was no excuse for the lamentable error that led to Noni Madueke’s opening tap-in, but the mistake was on Khusanov AND Guardiola. But if Guardiola was beating himself up about exposing 20-year-old Khusanov to the demands of the Premier League too quickly, he can finally take huge encouragement from the way his players atoned for his misjudgement.
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This victory, courtesy of replies from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, does not mean that City have turned any sort of corner. It does not mean they are back. As Pep himself said on Friday, they will not be back until next season.
But what this victory did tell Pep – and did tell Khusanov – is that there is still a hunger at the Etihad, still a pride, still a spirit. And – witness the contribution of Gvardiol and the accomplished finishes of Haaland and Foden – this is still a squad that has plenty of stellar talent.
To see his side recover from that disastrous start must have lifted a manager who desperately needs lifting, regardless of this being a contest that, in the grand Premier League scheme of things, was of no crushing relevance.
Neither of these teams are remotely serious contenders in a race Liverpool will win in a canter, but both will finish in the top five, which looks almost certain to be sufficient for a Champions League place. Perhaps that might explain Guardiola’s slightly madcap selection.
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Abdukodir Khusanov was at fault for Noni Madueke’s goal (
Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Khusanov should not beat himself up too badly because his error was the first of a multitude that made for an evening of slapstick entertainment. Don’t forget, these are the two teams who will represent England in the Club World Cup this summer, and they are nowhere near being the best two teams in the Premier League.
That, amongst a whole host of other things, is a reason why FIFA’s new commercial wheeze is fundamentally flawed. There is every chance the winners of the Club World Cup will not be the best club team in the world.
The 32-team competition is, of course, the pet project of the remarkably self-indulgent FIFA president, and Gianni Infantino was in the stands for this one. What he saw was thoroughly entertaining but was, let’s face it, a catalogue of ricks.
And that is why neither of these sides will put together the sort of winning run that might get them on the same lap as Liverpool in the race. As well as the fight shown by his besieged squad, Guardiola will take one or two positives from fairly chaotic proceedings, not least the sparky contribution of Marmoush, whose pace and directness could offer Pep a different option to the thousand-pass routine.
Manchester City beat Chelsea 3-1 (
Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Once he learns the offside rule, the Egyptian could be very useful indeed. Marmoush eventually got tired but he might just provide a spark that will be useful to Guardiola and City in the final four months of the season.
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What really matters in the very short term, of course, is the win-or-bust meeting with Club Brugge. And in that regard, this triumph was not just about three points that takes them fourth.
If this acts as a reminder of what, not long ago, City were all about, then it could be invaluable come Wednesday. City are not back but perhaps reports of their terminal decline are just a bit exaggerated.
