Pep Guardiola Praises Uzbek Defender Abdukodir Khusanov After Home Draw with Brighton

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola praised the performance of debutant Max Alleyne and his central defensive partner, Uzbekistan national team defender Abdukodir Khusanov, following the home draw against Brighton (1–1) in an English Premier League match played on Wednesday.

Alleyne, who returned to City earlier this week after a loan spell at Watford, formed a central defensive partnership with Khusanov in a reshaped back line. Both defenders delivered a confident performance against one of the league’s most dynamic and aggressive sides, demonstrating a high level of individual quality.

Manchester City opened the scoring in the 40th minute through an Erling Haaland penalty, but Kaoru Mitoma equalized after the break with a goal in the 60th minute. Guardiola’s side were ultimately unable to protect their lead, drawing their third consecutive Premier League match.

Summing up the game, the Spanish coach singled out the contribution of the young center backs, highlighting their potential and future prospects.

“They were exceptional. Khusanov was incredible. He helped us a lot, especially when dealing with long balls played in behind the defense,” Guardiola said.

According to the coach, the Uzbek defender controlled the width of the pitch confidently and showed maturity in defensive actions. “He will keep improving. He needs to be more involved in build-up play and attacking phases, but that will come with time. Today he was at the highest level,” Guardiola added.

Guardiola also praised Max Alleyne, noting that the defender returned to the team just two days before the match and managed to complete only one full training session. “Of course, he trained with us a lot in the past. I want to thank Watford and Xavi Gracia — they helped him grow a lot as a footballer,” he said.

According to Guardiola, Alleyne was quick in transition phases and played with confidence throughout the match. “He made one mistake on the ball, but apart from that he was excellent,” the coach noted.

“Unfortunately, today we didn’t manage to win in the Premier League, but in the future he will have many victories,” concluded the Manchester City manager.