After scoring on his Premier League debut against Wolves, Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki will be desperate to start against Tottenham Hotspur.
Last Saturday, Pep Guardiola brought the Frenchman off the bench as an impact substitute, which suggests that he would like to gradually bed him into English football.
However, showmen like Rayan Cherki play their best football in the biggest games and starting him from the off against Tottenham seems like a no-brainer for Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola praised Cherki’s mentality to adapt his game to Premier League football and despite just being 22, the youngster seems to be ready to etch his status as one of the best players in the world.
When the Frenchman signed for Manchester City, Cherki revealed his favourite position is attacking midfield and in most games, he is likely to be deployed behind the striker.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola should play Rayan Cherki as an inside forward vs Tottenham
However, against Tottenham, not only should Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola start Rayan Cherki but also task him to play as an inside forward into his usual number 10 role for several reasons.
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The Catalan tactician might fear the prospect of losing the midfield battle to Spurs by playing a maverick like the former Lyon technician in the hole; prioritising a trio of Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders in the middle of the park instead — as was the case against Wolves.
However, by benching Jeremy Doku, Pep Guardiola could deploy Cherki as a left-sided inside forward where he would be stationed closer to goal while being able to dovetail with Rayan Ait-Nouri, who is comfortable at hugging the touchline.
Rayan Cherki in action for Manchester City during a Premier League clash against Wolves
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images
Guardiola pinpointed Cherki’s “extraordinary” vision and considering Thomas Frank could set up with a five-man-defence like he recently did against Paris Saint-Germain, the French international would be best placed to unlock Tottenham’s potentially rigid defensive shape.
The highly-rated attacker is not only an excellent creator but against Al-Ain at the FIFA Club World Cup, the technician displayed his knack for combining with Ait-Nouri in tight pockets of space while being able to dribble out wide and in central areas.
Lyon’s academy director highlighted Cherki’s two-footedness by admitting he still remains unsure about which foot he considers stronger, which would make him a tricky customer for either Pedro Porro or Djed Spence to tame as a wide playmaker.
RAYAN CHERKI AS A WINGER APPEARANCES GOALS ASSISTS
LEFT-WINGER 17 0 3
RIGHT-WINGER 58 11 23
The statistics show that Manchester City’s brand-new number 10 thrives as a right-winger in particular but the dynamics on the left could suit him more, considering Ait-Nouri is a natural attacking full-back unlike both Matheus Nunes or Rico Lewis.
Rayan Cherki is on the verge of equalling a rare record vs Tottenham
A maverick like Cherki could be Manchester City’s much-needed X-factor against Tottenham and he should be given the chance to start, settle into proceedings and wreak havoc. Furthermore, the City new-boy could set a feat against the Lilywhites.
Cherki could match Emmanuel Adebayor’s record in 2009 by becoming the second Manchester City player to score in both of his opening Premier League games if he gets on the scoresheet against Tottenham.
Considering it would only be the second game of the Sky Blues’ season, Pep Guardiola would only gain more of an understanding about the player by conducting the bold tactical experiment of changing his position.