Coming off the back of their 5-2 victory against Juventus, fans and pundits alike would have expected Manchester City to cruise past Al-Hilal in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Erling Haaland credited Yassine Bounou after his heroics and while the Moroccan goalkeeper was a class apart, City would have been runaway winners on another day if they had taken their chances.
However, Alfie Haaland claimed Al-Hilal deservedly defeated Manchester City and it is difficult to disagree with him, especially considering how wasteful the Sky Blues were in front of goal.
Pep Guardiola’s primary concern would have been how susceptible his side were at the back, as Simone Inzaghi’s side exposed their chronic failure to stand tall against counter-attacking teams since last season.
Abdukodir Khusanov needs to play more regularly for Man City
Ruben Dias had a rough outing in particular as the Portuguese colossus was nowhere near Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly as he headed in a crucial goal against Manchester City, it is worth proposing that Abdukodir Khusanov deserves much more of a chance to start for the English giants.
Despite Khusanov’s impressive start to life at Manchester City, he has only been named in Guardiola’s starting line-ups once since March as he played in his side’s 6-0 rout against Al-Ain.
Abdukodir Khusanov kicks a football during AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
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However, the former RC Lens defender is exactly what Pep Guardiola’s side are missing — a rapid centre-back equipped to defend in a high line, possessing the athleticism to extinguish fires out wide and inside the box while also being excellent in possession.
Khusanov’s starring display in Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur was the perfect demonstration of why he is the embodiment of the modern centre-back.
Dias, John Stones and Manuel Akanji play in the Uzbek wonderkid’s right-sided central defensive role. But the former’s lack of searing pace and struggles in the air, the Swiss international often losing his focus inside the box and the Englishman’s persistent injury woes means the position has become a weak link for City.
With Dias, in particular not being the most athletically gifted and Guardiola pushing Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes as de-facto wing-backs and a high line, a pacey centre-half like the Tashkent-born speedster’s value is paramount in such a system.
Pep Guardiola likes Dias and Josko Gvardiol’s partnership but he will wish to reward meritocracy and unlike the former Benfica star and Akanji in particular, Khusanov has largely been flawless since joining Manchester City.
At 21 years of age, the City youngster does not have the wealth of experience his teammates do but his lionhearted displays against Tottenham, Real Madrid and Liverpool demonstrate that he belongs at the highest level.
STATS VS TOTTENHAM ABDUKODIR KHUSANOV
DRIBBLED PAST 0
DUELS WON 2/3
RECOVERIES 4
CLEARANCES 4
CHANCES CREATED 1
Pep Guardiola’s feelings about Abdukodir Khusanov
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admires Khusanov and while he might regret not to have started him against a direct team like Al-Hilal, his comments in March suggest the defender has a bright future.
“It was not expected to play as much games but the situation that we have in the back-four all season made him play a lot of games.”
Guardiola concluded: “He has special quality, that’s for sure. Really, really special ones; he’s so fast, brings his passion, even his face I see sometimes and body language doesn’t show but his passion in many, many actions. And we are delighted in a short time, without training and many, many things. He has helped us a lot!”