“Manchester City” is competing for two goals in the remaining part of the current season. The main objective is for the team to maintain its position in the top four of the English Premier League and secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the next season.
Additionally, the "Citizens" must strive to leave some bright memory of a disappointing season by at least winning the FA Cup.
Josep Guardiola's disciples faced lower league representatives "Plymouth" in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Plymouth, which eliminated Premier League teams like "Brentford" and "Liverpool" from the competition, started the match against the Manchester team quickly and opened the scoring first.
The hosts later scored three goals, resolving the match in their favor and advancing to the next round.
After this contest, Josep Guardiola emphasized that the primary responsibility for achieving the set goals now falls on the new players, particularly Abduqodir Husanov.
The point is that in this match, central defender Nathan Ake got injured and could not return to the field for the second half. The experienced player joined the ranks of central defenders Manuel Akanji and John Stones, who had previously been sidelined. Now they will need time to recover from their injuries and regain their form.
- Now we are left without experienced central defenders again. We will not be able to utilize Nathan Ake's services for a certain period.
I must thank the club officials for bringing Abduqodir Husanov and Vitor Reyes, who played well today, to the team. Without Husanov's services, we would be deprived of the opportunity to qualify for the UEFA Champions League or continue our journey in the FA Cup.
Currently, in central defense, only Abduqodir Husanov, Vitor Reyes, and experienced player Ruben Dias remain.
Having new players in our squad is a miracle in itself. Because our current problems have been troubling us throughout the season.
However, overall, the team's mood is good. It is evident that our game has improved positively over the last month. We played very well against "Liverpool" and "Chelsi." We will simply forget the game in Madrid. In fact, we had strayed far from the positions we should have been in.
Step by step, good changes are taking place, and everything is interconnected. We are fighting this year to secure a place in the Champions League for the next season, - said Josep Guardiola.
It is worth noting that “Manchester City”’s four transfers made in January for over 200 million euros are proving to be worthwhile. To date, Abduqodir Husanov, Umar Marmush, and Niko Gonzalez have become key players in the starting lineup. The 18-year-old Brazilian central defender Vitor Reyes has also shown that he is capable of playing in the starting lineup by participating in two matches in the FA Cup.
“Manchester City” will play its next match against “Nottingham Forest,” currently in third place in the English Premier League, on March 8. This central match of round 28 will kick off at 17:30 Tashkent time.
