Pep Guardiola has already solved glaring Man City problem with ‘very intelligent’ player
Pep Guardiola may have found the solution to a troubled position in the Man City starting XI, who is pushing for a start against Napoli.
Man City cruised to a 3-0 victory over Man United courtesy of an Erling Haaland brace and a Phil Foden strike, which opened the scoring, last time out.
The three points mean Man City return to winning ways in the Premier League following back-to-back league defeats against Brighton and Tottenham.
The comprehensive victory over their rivals eased a headache for Guardiola in one position which was a problem for the Spaniard ahead of their opening Champions League clash against Napoli.
Abdukodir Khusanov stars for Man City against Man United
Before the Manchester derby, Guardiola had used two right-back’s in thee games so far this season.
Against Man United he elected to use Abdukodir Khusanov in the position over Rico Lewis or Matheus Nunes.
Khusanov’s display may have solved a problem for Guardiola at right-back, and have eased his selection dilemma before Napoli.
His display limited Man United to just two shots on target at the Etihad and kept debutant Benjamin Sesko quiet up-front.
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 70 |
| Defensive Contributions | 12 |
| Clearances | 6 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
The 21-year-old can be rash at times, and has yet to put a run of games together in a Man City shirt, but with stiff competition at centre-half from Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, right-back could be his new position in the team.
Rico Lewis and Mathues Nunes axed from Man City XI
Lewis signed a new Man City contract recently, but has been dropped for the past two matches whilst Nunes has been converted into the position from midfield.
Nunes started the match at Brighton and gave away the penalty which began the turnaround from the Seagulls.
The 27-year-old is naturally a midfielder, though he has been given the most minutes of his Man City career at right-back, and there doesn’t seem to be a role for him in the team with Khusanov now deployed in the position.
Khusanov is a natural defender with combative qualities and will not invert into midfield like Nunes or Lewis, though will offer Guardiola greater solidity at the back.
The Athletic [15 September] call him the “perfect defender for a team that dominates possession.”
Whilst Khusanov still needs to improve areas of his game, there now looks to be a future for the defender at Man City, whilst Lewis and Nunes must fight to regain their place in the starting XI.