Rayan Cherki has had a superb debut season for Manchester City. In 46 appearances in all competitions the French international has scored 10 goals and added 13 assists. Those numbers only tell part of the impact that Cherki has made for his team. Cherki is a bona fide match-winner who can break a game with a piece of magic. As City chase a domestic treble this season, Cherki’s talent is a weapon that City possess that Arsenal do not. Having said all of that, when Cherki signed for Manchester City from Lyon last summer, doubts arose as to whether or not the French international was a Pep Guardiola player. Those doubts have been emphatically put to bed, as Pep Guardiola himself has pointed out.
Pep Guardiola has put to bed any notion that Rayan Cherki isn’t a typical Guardiola player.
During the embargoed section of his pre-game press conference ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League fixture against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Pep Guardiola was asked if Rayan Cherki was a typical Pep Guardiola player. The Manchester City manager quickly put to bed any idea that Cherki isn’t a fit for his team. He explained: “Good question! What is my typical player? (Ilkay Gundogan) Yeah, give me another. (Lionel Messi) Yeah… “I don’t have typical players, as much as they love to play. If he’s not my typical player, it’s not bad for the first season what he’s doing.“
“I don’t believe in that… There are good players, and not good players. Strong here [in the mind], and not strong. “If you’re a good player and strong here, you can play in all teams, the big teams in the world, and normally big teams are guided by the top, top managers. So of course he can play, it’s my style, my type… All the players I have here are my type of players, all of them.“
The importance of Rayan Cherki to Manchester City has grown throughout this season.
Any idea that Rayan Cherki doesn’t fit into a Pep Guardiola side has long been put to bed. Pep Guardiola didn’t need to confirm this fact. It has stood out across this season watching Cherki grow in importance to this Manchester City side. A perfect illustration of this came in Manchester City’s recent 3-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Rayan Cherki broke open a must-win game for his team with two assists, his assist for Marc Guehi’s goal in particular was a piece of magic that only he can produce. That display from the French international showed how important he is to his team, and further illustrated that Cherki is indeed a Pep Guardiola player.
Rayan Cherki will have an important role to play in Manchester City’s chase for a domestic treble this season. His ability to break open a match has the potential to tilt the title race in Manchester City’s favor. Match-winners such as Cherki are worth their weight in gold, and it won’t be a surprise to see Cherki have a huge impact in the final games that Manchester City play this season.
Pep Guardiola has put to bed any idea that Rayan Cherki isn’t a typical Pep Guardiola player. He didn’t really need to, as Cherki’s performances have done exactly that this season. Rayan Cherki is crucial to Manchester City, and he looms as a vital player for his team this season and in the future.