SQUAWKA.com has published an analytical article about our only player in the English Premier League, Abdukodir Khusanov. The article extensively covers the difficult path he has traveled from his first days in England to the present day, why he "found himself," and in what aspects he has become valuable to Manchester City.
From the very first sentence, the material calls on City fans to agree: one should be happy to have a defender like Khusanov in the team. But there's no easy scenario behind this joy. For the young footballer, a new country, a new city, a new environment - all at once was a big test.
Pressure after error in debut
Khusanov's starting point in England wasn't a "straight spot." An error in the first leg against Chelsea led to a goal. Although the game ended 3-1 in favor of "City," most people remember exactly that episode. Time passed, months passed - Abdukodir quickly recovered mentally and began to regain the trust of his fans. People may forget the mistake, but it won't be easy for a footballer to break free from that feeling and internal pressure. At this point, it is emphasized that Pep Guardiola played the biggest role.
The coach chose a clear strategy to bring the young defender out of pressure: he put Abdukodir on the field in the starting lineup for six consecutive matches, demonstrating his confidence in him in a practical way. The authors note that Guardiola understood well how difficult the new life in England would be for the young legionnaire. In addition, Khusanov could not speak English fluently - this is also a factor that slows down adaptation. However, City's staff and coaching approach continued to support the player during his recovery.
Emerging from the depths: a door of opportunity opened
At one point, the situation seemed like Khusanov had been left out, as if he had become a "forgotten" player in the team's game. Because the competition in the defense line is fierce: Mateus Nunes is stable on the right wing, while Ruben Dias, Yoshko Guardiol, and John Stones are strong supports in the center. That negative episode against "Chelsea" also hit Abduqodir hard.
But in football, both "time" and "situation" change quickly. Dias and Guardiol's injuries opened a new opportunity for Khusanov. According to the authors, if it weren't for those injuries, the New Year's for the young defender could have been quite quiet and even boring. But this very situation was a great opportunity for Husanov's return: he emerged from the "dark hole" and started getting closer to the main squad again.
"Brighton," "Exeter," "Newcastle": three games that restored confidence
Abdukodir soon started matches against Brighton, Exeter and Newcastle. Except for 20-year-old Max Allen, there aren't many young players in the City defense line - in this sense, Khusanov's self-confidence is particularly noteworthy.
In a resounding 10-1 victory against Exeter, he moved freely, appearing confident both in defense and positional play. The match against Brighton was also held at a high level. In the 2-0 victory over Newcastle, Khusanov was shown as an important link in the team that managed a difficult task at such a difficult stadium as St. James' Park.
Details in the defense that restrained Newcastle
In the analytical part, Khusanov's actions in the game against "Newcastle" are revealed with numbers. It's also worth noting that VAR worked for a long time, but most importantly - "Newcastle" usually makes an average of 6 home shots in attack, while in this game they only managed to score twice against the opponent's goal. The authors emphasize that City's defense prevented this.
Khusanov's personal statistics open up like a knife here:
- 6 clean dribbles;
- 4 times to catch the ball by padding;
- Risk elimination with 1 100% submission.
In England, the demand for podkat culture is high - that's why these figures are especially valued. According to the analysis, among 303 registered players in the EPL, Khusanov is in 5th place in the 2025/26 season with a result of 91.7 percent. For comparison, Guardiol is in 4th place with 94.7%.
"Plus" on passes too: contribution to game building
For a defender, it's important not only to break, but also to play with the ball. In the match against "Newcastle," Khusanov also made the most passes: he made 58 assists. Most importantly, 93.5% of the passes were targeted. This indicator means that a young defender can be a "building material" for the team in positional play.
Guardiola's grade and next exam
The article also cites Pep Guardiola's opinion about Husanov: he called this transfer extremely important for the team, saying that reliable defense is mandatory behind "City" because they play at the top. The coach emphasized that Husanov's benefit will increase over time, as he is still young and has much to learn. Most importantly, Abdukodir works at 100% capacity during training.
In the final part of the analysis, emphasis is placed on the next test - the Manchester derby. "United" is not like before,
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