Pep Guardiola has bemoaned his side’s injury record this season (Image: Getty)
There haven’t been many causes for celebration as far as are concerned this season.
Sunday’s defeat at home to was their eighth of the Premier League season – as many as they’d recorded across both of their previous two league-winning campaigns.
One of the issues for has been diagnosing the problem, with several factors having contributed to the reigning champions’ decline.
The decision to spend less than £30million in the summer transfer window appears to have come back to haunt them, as the Blues’ squad has stalled on the back of their fourth Premier League title in a row.
Then there’s the injuries. Oscar Bobb went down just days before the opening game of the campaign with a broken leg, while Rodri – who would be named the Ballon d’Or winner just months later – ruptured his ACL during an early-season meeting with . Neither have seen the pitch since.
Bobb and Rodri haven’t been alone in the treatment room, with the likes of Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, , Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and John Stones having all spent time on the sidelines.
It’s the omission of the last name on that list which has been particularly problematic for , given Stones’ on-the-ball quality at the heart of the defence, as well as his ability to deputise for Rodri as an out-and-out holding midfielder.
According to Fbref statistics, the Englishman – who joined City for £47.5m in 2016 – attempts over 75 passes per 90, at a completion rate of 93 per cent. Take him out of the City team and it’s no surprise they’ve looked disjointed.
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John Stones has endured another injury-ridden season (Image: Getty)
Adukodir Khusanov excelled both on and off the ball for Man City vs Liverpool (Image: Getty)
That could be about to change though. Introducing Abdukodir Khusanov.
The Uzbekistan international was signed as part of City’s mini-rebuild in January, arriving from Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens.
His start to life in the Premier League couldn’t have got off to a worse start, when he was at fault for ’s opening goal on his debut less than two minutes into the game, before picking up a yellow card just three minutes later.
Since that disastrous start, Khusanov has settled into a groove, .
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The latest was against at the weekend, where Khusanov earned plaudits for his last-ditch defending and physicality in duels.
However, it was his passing ability that caught the eye the most. The 20-year-old completed the most passes of any player on the pitch (89) and boasted the highest pass percentage at 98 per cent.
Stones, who Guardiola revealed last week , may be coming to the end of his City career.
But with Khusanov, Guardiola might have already found a ready-made replacement.