Pep Guardiola's reaction to Abdukodir Khusanov spotted after nightmare Man City debut
Pep Guardiola's reaction to Abdukodir Khusanov spotted after nightmare Man City debut
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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.
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.
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.
