‘I felt like crying for him’ – but Man City recover from ‘horrific’ start

A nightmare started off my Premier League debut.

Chelsea made a terrible mistake by awarding them the opener and booking Chelsea for £33.6 million, and Abdukodir Khusanov, the new signing at Manchester City, looked genuinely terrified.

“It was not the best start”, admitted City manager Pep Guardiola. Striker Erling Haaland was more blunt, calling it a “horrific start” for the team as a whole.

Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp had to share his thoughts when watching the game with Sky Sports: “When you get in that position, it’s like your head is in a tumble dryer.” Gary Neville added: “I felt like crying for the lad”.

Thankfully for former Lens defender Khusanov, his evening got better.

Goals from Josko Gvardiol, Haaland and Phil Foden ensured Khusanov’s first game ended in a 3-1 win that propelled City back into the Premier League’s top four.

The defending champions have won four of their past five league games while remaining unbeaten in nine of those games.

Khusanov won’t be the first signing to endure a painful bow at Etihad Stadium until he retraces his past to reveal that he is not the first to do so in January.

In fact, he lasted longer than Patrice Evra, a former Manchester United defender, who was replaced at half-time in a City derby 19 years ago.

He didn’t do too badly after that.

Khusanov will need some time, though at the age of 20, with a professional career that includes only 70 senior football games and little English proficiency.

“It was not the best start of course but he will take a lesson”, said Guardiola. He has been traveling for a long time. He remained silent about his training. We came from Ipswich and PSG, so it was just recovery, recovery, recovery.

Because he doesn’t speak English well, I will have to learn Russian or Uzbek, but in that kind of situation, there is nothing to say. He knows he made a mistake. So I say what and put him to the side. Don’t make a mistake? “

Khusanov’s initial mistake was to head the ball straight to Nicolas Jackson, deep in the City half, who squared for Noni Madueke to finish.

When Chelsea next attacked, he lost possession in his own half again and, desperate to make amends, chopped down Cole Palmer and was booked. Since Lee Peltier for Cardiff against Bournemouth in 2018, it was the first player to receive a yellow card on their Premier League debut.

Redknapp added:” I felt]playing Abdukodir Khusanov] was a bit of a risk. It’s less of a risk for]Omar] Marmoush, but when you’re playing as a centre-back it’s a lot more difficult.

“I think Pep right now will be thinking ‘ I shouldn’t have played him’. A really challenging debut was made. He’ll probably do better for it, in theory.

An appreciative crowd responded when City’s players clearly offered their support and Khusanov was replaced by John Stones nine minutes into the second half.

“I didn’t make the substitution for the mistake”, said Guardiola. “I did it because I had a yellow card.” Also, I need John Stones on Wednesday”.

City will need to defeat Club Brugge on Wednesday to advance to the play-offs. This is their final Champions League first-phase game.

Their other new recruits, Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reis, are not allowed to play in that match either.

Reis, a teenager, watched the game from the dugout, but Marmoush also started and appeared to be a threat, having his goal rejected for offside, and displaying evidence of potential profit from his partnership with Haaland.

“I have seen him in the Bundesliga”, Haaland told BBC Match of the Day. You can tell that playing with him is going to be fantastic because of what he has in store for him.

Shearer added on BBC Match of the Day: “I was impressed with Marmoush. He was a threat, brought some energy and had pace and a willingness.

Not just Khusanov, however, committed a significant error.

Given his age and the amount of time he has been in the country, the Uzbekistan international’s error was forgivable.

Robert Sanchez’s one from Chelsea’s keeper was much less effective because he had to advance off his line when Haaland and Trevoh Chalobah tussled to Ederson’s long punt downfield.

As City won the first game of the season, Haaland calmly curled the ball over his head and into the net, realizing he was going to get nowhere. He immediately began to move back and leave himself in no man’s land.

The optics around what was formally Sanchez’s fifth error leading directly to a goal in the top flight this season were poor on the day another Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga kept a clean sheet for Bournemouth in their impressive 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

” I’m saying ‘ just stay where you are’, “said Redknapp”. He’s not going to make up that distance so why even make up]Haaland’s] mind? “

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said all the right things afterwards, that Sanchez is the first to admit his blunder, which is positive, and that he still” trusts “him.

However, there was a caveat as he looked ahead to a deadline-day trip to West Ham on 3 February.

” Now we have an entire week, “he said”. We’ll see how people react and what to expect from the following game.