Manchester City fell to a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, but things could have been different had Pep Guardiola made use of a different player on his bench.
Manchester City went into their first Premier League home game of the season in a positive mood after their 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, Tottenham – who also won convincingly on the opening day – had other ideas.
Spurs winger Brennan Johnson put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute before a James Trafford howler helped Joao Palhinha make it two on the stroke of half-time.
Centre-back Ruben Dias was one of City’s most criticised players on the day, along with right-back Rico Lewis.
And Pep Guardiola had an option on the bench he could have used in place of either player, though he chose not to in the end.
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Abdukodir Khusanov should have replaced either Ruben Dias or Rico Lewis
The player in question is Abdukodir Khusanov, who was an unused substitute against Spurs and only got eight minutes under his belt at Wolves.
While Dias is obviously a capable player, his pace has been letting him down, as was clear again on Saturday.
Khusanov has just as much ability on the ball as Dias, but he is also incredibly rapid, making him perfect for the high line.
A combination of a high line and slow centre-backs is a recipe for disaster, and Khusanov surely would be a good solution – if Pep actually played him.
Alternatively, the £34million man would have surely been a better fit at right-back than Lewis, who struggled throughout under heavy pressure on the ball.
The silver lining for Manchester City in wake of Tottenham loss
If one positive can be fleshed out of such a dire display, it’s that this defeat has taken place while the transfer window is still open.
City have a week to address the flaws in their squad, and there are quite a few.
Trafford may be a top talent but Saturday showed he still needs to improve and, at this level, he should do so away from the spotlight.
With that in mind, Gianluigi Donnarumma is available, and he’d be a ready-made addition to the City goalkeeping ranks.
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s injury exposed City’s frailties on the left, so a reinforcement there would be a good shout.
And then we have City’s right-back position – if Khusanov is not considered for this, then Guardiola and Hugo Viana must look elsewhere.