Manchester City suffered a 2-0 defeat against Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium. The match highlighted the fact that the new-look squad requires more time to integrate effectively. With several new players and coaches, it’s not surprising that Pep Guardiola‘s team is still a work in progress. One player whose performance particularly underscored this point was Rayan Cherki.
Pep Guardiola analyzes Manchester City’s possession issues
Speaking after the Tottenham defeat, Pep Guardiola noted that his team struggled with control despite getting into good positions. He felt they rushed their play while in possession. “When we arrive in positions more comfortably, we lose the simple things,” Pep Guardiola said. “We need the continuity with the passes, and we cannot attack in three or four passes. We missed it a little bit, that’s all.”
Rayan Cherki performance against Tottenham
Rayan Cherki’s performance seemed to exemplify Pep Guardiola’s assessment. At times, Cherki appeared to try to force decisive plays when in possession. While not entirely poor, the French international didn’t impact the game as much as he would have liked. Cherki seemed to approach each pass or cross with the expectation of it being game-changing. As the French international settles into his Manchester City career, he will learn to balance risk and maintaining possession.
Pep Guardiola explains decision to start Rayan Cherki
Pep Guardiola explained his reasoning for giving Rayan Cherki his first start against Tottenham. He believed Cherki’s ability to break lines could unlock Manchester City’s attack in their first home game of the 25/26 season. Despite the plan not fully materializing, Pep Guardiola remains confident in Cherki’s development. “That’s why I gave him [a start] at home, he made an incredible 20 minutes at Wolves, being involved in small spaces, made a fantastic goal, the creativity to find the wingers, to find Erling [Haaland], to find Tijjani [Reijnders], to find Rico [Lewis], all of them have good, good movements from behind. And that was the reason why. It’s the first game, he will learn and keep going.”
Rayan Cherki will require time to fully adapt to Pep Guardiola’s system and demands. Like his new teammates, he will learn to choose his moments and support the team’s possession game. The performance of Cherki, and Manchester City as a whole, isn’t a major cause for concern. Instead, it serves as a reminder that the Manchester City rebuild is an ongoing process. It is important to remember that each season is a marathon and that new signings like Cherki need time to integrate into life at Manchester City.
