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Rayan Cherki joining Manchester City from Lyon pairs a mouthwatering imaginative talent pinch nan astir successful and innovative coach of nan 21st century.
The 21-year-old scored 12 goals and laid connected 19 assists successful 2024/25 (those 31 goals involvements are 1 much than Lamine Yamal managed for Barcelona) and joins a nine that has racked up six of nan 10 highest-scoring Premier League seasons of each clip nether Pep Guardiola.
Departing nine awesome Kevin De Bruyne leaves gargantuan shoes to capable astatine City, but Cherki looks up for nan challenge. Who wouldn't beryllium excited to spot really this mightiness play out?
Well, rather a batch of people, arsenic it happens. A cursory glimpse complete societal media shows plentifulness of fans and a not insignificant number of pundits wondering really Guardiola mightiness "ruin" a "baller" for illustration Cherki.
It would beryllium 1 point if this was conscionable net gibberish.
MORE: Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City: Contract, debut day arsenic Dutch prima leaves AC Milan
Tijjani Reijnders has besides moved to City arsenic portion of Guardiola's rebuild, pinch nan Netherlands midfielder's move from AC Milan for an first £46 cardinal ($62.3m) confirmed soon aft Cherki joined £30.5m ($41.3m).
Reijnders' move has been successful nan useful for immoderate clip and, during a property convention while connected world work past week, he was asked whether nan "freedom" successful his crippled would beryllium mislaid nether Guardiola.
This is astatine a property convention for nan Dutch nationalist team. The Netherlands is nan location of nan positional play style that first Johan Cruyff and past Guardiola refined successful Barcelona — a style that has shaped and defined modern football. It felt a small spot for illustration we were done nan looking glass.
Does Pep Guardiola ruin 'ballers'?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is astatine crushed zero of this discourse. The enigmatic Sweden striker and Guardiola famously did not spot eye-to-eye during his 1 play astatine Barcelona successful 2009/10. He was withering complete what he perceived to beryllium subservience among nan Blaugrana squad.
I'd already sewage nan belief that Barcelona was a small for illustration being backmost astatine Ajax, it was for illustration being backmost astatine school. None of nan lads acted for illustration superstars, which was strange. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, nan full pack – they were for illustration schoolboys. The champion footballers successful nan world stood location pinch their heads bowed, and I didn't understand immoderate of it. It was ridiculous.
Everyone did arsenic they were told. I didn't fresh in, not astatine all. I thought, conscionable bask nan opportunity, don't corroborate their prejudices. So I started to accommodate and blend in. I became measurement excessively nice. It was mental. I said what I thought group wanted maine to say. It was wholly messed up. I drove nan club's Audi and stood location and nodded my head. I hardly moreover yelled astatine my team-mates immoderate more. I was boring. Zlatan was nary longer Zlatan.
The supra extract from Ibrahimovic's autobiography I Am Zlatan persistently followed Guardiola around, moreover arsenic he racked up trophies astatine Bayern Munich, pinch Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery supplying goals by nan bucketload to Robert Lewandowski. Then still astatine City, wherever aft a tricky first season, De Bruyne, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling mixed successful a dazzling ensemble to smash nan Premier League's goals and points records successful 2017/18.
Ultimately, Ibrahimovic was an entertaining and bizarre outlier. It was difficult to ideate Xavi and Andres Iniesta blathering astir themselves successful nan 3rd personification and Guardiola's results said for themselves.
But arsenic those results sewage moreover amended astatine City — a second, titanic final-day title struggle against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool falling their measurement successful 2021/22 and a historical treble triumph nan pursuing play — nan speech changed. Jack Grealish and Ibrahimovic are an improbable overseas mates but nan £100m England prima and his acquisition astatine City convinced galore that Zlatan mightiness person had a point.
MORE: Man City scope statement to motion Rayan Cherki
Is Guardiola to blasted for Jack Grealish's Man City struggles?
As Cherki and Reijnders statesman their City journey, Grealish's is, to each intents and purposes, astatine an end. He was omitted from Guardiola's squad for nan Club World Cup contempt location being spaces disposable connected nan roster.
After joining City from boyhood nine Aston Villa for a then-record British transportation fee, Grealish had a so-so first play successful 2021/22 arsenic City won nan Premier League and reached nan semifinals of nan Champions League and FA Cup.
A play of acclimatisation to Guardiola's demands is normal for imaginative midfielders and attackers (put a pin successful "Pep has ruined Cherki" chat rearing its caput by October…), and, during nan 2nd half of 2022/23, Grealish became 1 of Guardiola's dependables. He made nan position connected nan near helping his ain and was integral to City's irresistible treble charge.
Since then, it's been location betwixt underwhelming and shambolic. Grealish has spoken openly astir struggling mentally successful nan aftermath of nan treble and alluded to further difficulties distant from nan pitch. Throw successful ill-timed and persistent wounded problems and nan absolute spot Guardiola had 2 years agone has dissipated entirely.
Even during nan 2nd half of past season, erstwhile Grealish was handed a astonishment commencement against Real Madrid successful nan Champions League earlier hobbling disconnected injured, City looked a amended squad pinch nan 29-year-old connected nan field. The problem was getting him there.
Grealish thanked Guardiola profusely aft City's treble triumph and has ever spoken warmly of his coach. That mightiness alteration amid nan coming fallout of his expected Etihad Stadium departure, but 1 question and reply fixed during nan successful 2022/23 run has travel to travel Guardiola astir arsenic doggedly arsenic Ibrahimovic's musings.
"When I came here, I'll beryllium honest, it was truthful overmuch much difficult than I thought," he told Sky Sports aft mounting up Riyad Mahrez's decisive extremity successful a 1-0 triumph complete Chelsea. "In my caput I thought I was going to nan squad sitting apical of nan convention and I was going to get truthful galore goals and assists and evidently it isn't nan case.
"A batch of teams thin to beryllium successful against america and that wasn't nan lawsuit astatine Villa. [Former Villa manager] Dean Smith would show maine to spell and find nan anemic nexus successful nan defence, whether that was connected nan right, nan mediate aliases whether I wanted to hug nan touchline — and astatine Villa, I ever had an overlapping full-back. I came into City, having been astatine Villa my full life, and I've ne'er had to change. I've ever been utilized to that. I didn't realise really difficult it is to accommodate to a different squad and manager."
There it was, fun-loving Jack having his state restricted by nan professor of possession. Cherki arriving arsenic Grealish looks for an exit has been seized upon by immoderate arsenic symbolic. See that young lad who scored an unthinkable extremity against Spain and laid connected an assistance connected his world debut? Well, we dream you enjoyed that because Pep's sewage his hands connected him now. Look astatine mediocre aged Jack.
Has Pep Guardiola made shot boring?
As pinch immoderate basking take, location are kernels of truth successful what Ibrahimovic and Grealish connote are nan limitations of Guardiola's style. It should besides beryllium acknowledged that, for illustration galore coaches, nan City head has go comparatively much pragmatic pinch age.
His treble-winning backmost 4 comprised 4 earthy cardinal defenders — a acold outcry from Dani Alves tearing astir Camp Nou. Erling Haaland's presence astatine City came pinch a trade-off. Cherki would surely person been a delight to behold successful nan whizzing and whirring false-nine type of City. Guardiola's squad now doesn't person nan aforesaid fluency, but nan different broadside of nan equation is simply a subordinate who breaks nan 30-goal people erstwhile he's understandably considered to person had a mediocre season.
But does each of this mean Cherki will beryllium shackled successful Manchester? Absolutely not.
"Pep worked pinch maine a lot, to amended much successful my runs, to beryllium much successful nan container and to beryllium wherever you tin people goals," said Riyad Mahrez during nan 2021/22 season, wherever he plundered 24 goals from nan correct wing.
Mahrez is an absorbing lawsuit study and has besides been cited astir nan Cherki deal, fixed their shared Algerian roots and penchant for a delicious first touch. Like Grealish, Mahrez joined City having impressed for a nine playing successful a very different style. But his modulation from Leciester City proved acold much successful. He deed double figures for goals successful each of his 5 seasons successful Manchester.
"Attacking players, [Pep] ever gives america nan state successful nan past 30 metres. You tin do immoderate you want. He evidently gives you nan accusation of wherever he thinks nan spaces are but astatine nan extremity it is astir you. The transportation belongs to america and he will ne'er extremity you from dribbling aliases thing else."
Well, fancy that. The reality outlined by Mahrez is immoderate region distant from what nan cognition has become.
Aside from Guardiola's caller nods towards caution, location are wider frustrations that person led group to declare Cherki will nary longer cognize what joyousness is. Juego de Posicion has go nan ascendant style of our times and, for each thrilling squad specified arsenic Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain, location mightiness beryllium a much prosaic type specified arsenic Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
After a play erstwhile City struggled for corporate shape and fittingness and, arsenic a consequence, were often a reliable watch, it's easy to position dull possession teams arsenic a Guardiola bequest and breathtaking possession teams arsenic a Guardiola antidote, moreover though his ain power is easy capable to spot. The interminable hold for a solution to nan Premier League's lawsuit against City for complete 100 alleged norm breaches besides makes immoderate discussions astir football's perceived ills easier to bolt onto nan club. If City are nan Death Star, why not make Guardiola Darth Vader?
But this acheronian lord is not going to return Cherki distant from nan light. Grealish's autumn from grace has often seen him replaced connected nan near helping by Jeremy Doku, who attempted nan 2nd astir dribbles (177) successful nan Premier League past season, completing much than immoderate different subordinate (107). De Bruyne is leaving arsenic arguably nan champion attacking midfielder successful Premier League history. Phil Foden struggled this word but was voted PFA and FWA Player of nan Year successful 2023/24 arsenic nan Premier League's outstanding imaginative force, having been "shackled" by Guardiola since nan property of 16.
Cherki is an irresistible maverick and possibly he'll beryllium different Ibrahimovic aliases Grealish. Or, possibly he'll beryllium different Messi, Pedro, Villa, Ribery, Robben, Thiago, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Sterling, Sane, Aguero, Foden, Alvarez aliases Mahrez. Which do you deliberation is much likely?
