Maresca praises Cherki’s class against Palace
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Rayan Cherki of Manchester City celebrates after scoring with teammate Erling Haaland during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Crystal Palace FC and Manchester City at Selhurst Park on August 28, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
Enzo Maresca shared his thoughts on the 4-1 victory for Manchester City against Crystal Palace.
The Citizens sit at the top of the Premier League table thanks to their second successive triumph at the start of the season, and this performance was their most comfortable so far under the Italian.
· ‘Everyone knows his quality’
City put together the league’s most feared attack thanks to the individual quality in their ranks during the second half of last season. Jeremy Doku is absent with a calf injury, but the remaining talent on display was more than good enough to dispatch of the Eagles at Selhurst Park on Friday evening.
Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland grabbed braces, with the creativity of the former and efficiency of the latter leading an impressive duo in the attack, while Phil Foden backed them up credibly with two assists as he finished the fixture in his favoured pocket of the pitch, fighting for the ten position.
“Probably the first five or 10 minutes we saw how difficult it was. It's a difficult pitch and tough opponents. After 10 minutes we controlled the game on the ball and off the ball and deserved to win.
“[ Rayan Cherki ] his performance off the ball was unbelievable. Everyone knows his quality but when he works hard off the ball, he was in charge of Adam Wharton - he controlled him. He was very good.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Rayan Cherki of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Crystal Palace FC and Manchester City at Selhurst Park on August 28, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Rayan Cherki of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Crystal Palace FC and Manchester City at Selhurst Park on August 28, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
"We know Erling Haaland . We know when we make chances it's good for him. We try to create chances for him as much as we can.
"In the last 10-15 minutes you can see [ Phil Foden ] was even more happy to play inside behind Erling. That's his position. He's trying to adapt and trying to help when playing winger. His working is good, he's doing very good."
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 23: Manchester City Manager Enzo Maresca with Jack Grealish during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and AFC Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 23: Manchester City Manager Enzo Maresca with Jack Grealish during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and AFC Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)