Guardiola comments on Khusanov’s debut performance

Following "Manchester City"’s 3-1 victory over "Chelsea" in the 23rd round of the 2024/2025 English Premier League season, head coach Pep Guardiola spoke about the debut of Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov.

Guardiola explained, "He does not speak English, so we could not communicate well with him. Everything will be fine with him. He only had one or two training sessions. I did not want to force John Stones to return to the game after his injury for an important match in the Champions League against Club Brugge on January 29. The unity of the players is very important. Everyone can make mistakes. The fans always support newcomers. He is still very young. He will learn."

In the match, Khusanov made a shaky start, as he was involved in a mistake that allowed "Chelsea"’s Madueke to open the scoring in the 2nd minute. Just two minutes later, he received a yellow card for a foul on Palmer. Despite the early setbacks, Khusanov regained his composure with the support of his teammates and the fans, making a crucial intervention to prevent a clear goal from Jackson.

The match continued with "Manchester City" equalizing in the 42nd minute through Yoszko Guardiola, before Haaland put City ahead in the 68th minute following a pass from Ederson. Foden sealed the victory in the 86th minute, and City triumphed 3-1. The win lifted "Manchester City" to 4th place in the Premier League standings, while "Chelsea" dropped to 6th.