City Watch: Three points for City's new signings

City’s new signings were forced into action this past weekend due to continued injury setbacks.

Omar Marmoush, who City signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported £59 million, was immediately included in Guardiola’s starting eleven against Chelsea. 

The Egyptian wasn’t the only debutant on Saturday, as Abdukodir Khusanov made history as the first player from Uzbekistan to feature in the Premier League. The 20-year-old slotted into City’s injury-ridden back four.

It was a nightmare start for City and Khusanov, as the young defender—who cannot yet speak English—played a poor headed back pass to Ederson, which fell right into the path of Chelsea’s frontman Nicolas Jackson. Jackson squared the ball to Noni Madueke, who slotted home to give Chelsea the lead inside three minutes.

Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse for the young defender as he picked up the first booking of the game—and the first of his Premier League career—moments later for a late challenge on Cole Palmer.

Khusanov, however, showed great character and resilience to recover from an extremely difficult start to the game. He crucially blocked a shot from Jadon Sancho that would have surely doubled Chelsea’s lead. Despite some mainstream media calling it a nightmare debut, the Uzbek youngster settled his nerves and produced an impressive performance, given the pressure on his shoulders and the communication challenges he faced.

Despite early Chelsea chances, the traffic wasn’t all one-way. The home side returned the favor, with Phil Foden rattling the crossbar from distance. City’s perseverance paid off when Ilkay Gündogan spotted a clever run in behind from Matheus Nunes. His blocked shot fell perfectly into the path of the approaching Josko Gvardiol, who tapped into an empty net to bring City level before halftime.

City came out in the second half looking to take the lead, with Robert Sánchez denying Erling Haaland early on. City’s number nine, having committed his future to the club with a lucrative nine-and-a-half-year contract extension a fortnight ago, made no mistake with his second chance of the half. Latching onto a long ball from Ederson, Haaland chipped the ball beautifully over the onrushing Chelsea keeper.

More brilliant football from Manchester City before the end of the game put the result beyond Chelsea’s reach. Haaland was involved again, using his excellent hold-up play to control the ball with a great first touch. With his second, he set Phil Foden free on goal, allowing the England international to slot home City’s third of the evening and seal the victory.

Despite finishing the game without a goal, Marmoush did have the ball in the back of the net before the offside flag cut short his celebrations. The Egyptian forward was a constant threat with his dangerous runs in behind. A natural partnership appears to be forming between Manchester City’s new striking duo, and Premier League defenders—who have been so focused on marking Haaland out of games—will now have another major threat to worry about.

One new signing who didn’t receive his full debut on Saturday was 19-year-old Vitor Reis, whom City signed earlier this month from Palmeiras for a reported £29.6 million. The young Brazilian defender was unlikely to get any minutes barring an emergency due to his age, but he certainly looks like one for the future. City’s Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain, said about the new signing: “Vitor Reis is one of the most promising young defenders in the world, and we're delighted to have been able to bring him here.”

With Kyle Walker leaving the club this month to join Italian giants AC Milan, Reis could possibly feature over the next few weeks due to his versatility. His ability to play at right-back could allow Rico Lewis or Matheus Nunes some well-needed rest.

It’s fair to say it’s been an exciting month for City fans, with arguably the club’s busiest January transfer window in history resulting in a significant squad refresh. City came under huge scrutiny after suffering their worst run of form under Guardiola at the back end of last year, with nine losses and three draws in their final 14 games of 2024. However, things seem to be looking up for the Blues, with 20 goals scored in their first four games of the new year.

At the time of writing, City haven’t yet played their crucial final Champions League fixture of the league phase, but I’m hopeful they can deliver a huge performance to salvage any hopes of a European trophy and redeem what has otherwise been a disappointing season.