'Unbelievable' Cherki proves his point to Man City boss Maresca
MANCHESTER: Enzo Maresca revealed Rayan Cherki was frustrated to be left on the bench before the “unbelievable” Manchester City playmaker inspired a dramatic 2-1 win against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Rayan Cherki's impact on Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Bournemouth was truly unbelievable. The French playmaker was left on the bench before the match, as manager Enzo Maresca opted to select Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo instead. However, with City trailing to Marcus Tavernier's goal early in the first half, Maresca had no choice but to bring on Cherki in the 62nd minute.
The World Cup-short French star responded brilliantly, scoring the equalizer with a headed corner and then setting up the winning goal for Josko Gvardiol with a precise pass in stoppage time. Maresca praised Cherki's abilities, stating, "I like Rayan, I told him also after the game, but sometimes when you plan a game and you already have four out of 11 players who arrived late (from holidays), if you go with one more maybe the difference is too big."
Cherki's volatile personality and flamboyant style sometimes frustrated Pep Guardiola's approach last season, but Maresca had no issues with Cherki's character or skill. The Italian emphasized Cherki's niceness and clarity, acknowledging his frustration but ultimately making the difficult decision to start him. Despite Cherki's fitness concerns, Maresca defended the substitution, stating that Marc Guehi's unfamiliar role was a short-term option and that Guehi's performance should be seen as a positive for the future.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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