Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola spoke about the psychological state of central defender Abdulqodir Khusanov ahead of their match against Arsenal in the 24th round of the Premier League.

It’s worth noting that in the previous round, Khusanov started the match against Chelsea, but made an error leading to a goal and received a yellow card. However, the match ended with a 3–1 win for the Citizens, and Khusanov was substituted in the 52nd minute.

Guardiola emphasized that Khusanov is training well and is fully focused on his work. "For him, everything here is new," the coach said.

He added that he does not blame the player for mistakes in the previous match. "All central defenders make mistakes. You need to show a high level, but that takes time. I should blame myself for making mistakes," Guardiola explained.

Guardiola also pointed out that he didn’t criticize Khusanov for the unfortunate moments during the Chelsea game.

"He had just one training session before the match and played in a new team, in a country with a different language. Under such conditions, even I would want help during my debut in the Premier League. That’s exactly what happened: the guys quickly responded and supported him," Guardiola added.

Manchester City captain Kevin De Bruyne also commented on Khusanov’s performance. "We didn’t have enough defenders, so Abdulqodir started against Chelsea. It was difficult for him in the first five minutes, but then he got his confidence back. He should be proud of how he handled it at 20," the midfielder said.

The match between Manchester City and Arsenal will take place on February 2 at 21:30 Tashkent time.