Rayan Cherki is not unanimous, at least among certain specialists. Aligned as number 10 during the French team’s big victory against Ukraine (4-0), on the sidelines of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Citizen was far from his best level for his third selection.
Sometimes too individualistic, the former Lyonnais clearly missed his chance “in an important match”believes Jérôme Rothen. “Being in this role of playmaker, all the balls must go through you and you are the one who has the keys to the truck to speed up the game, to make differences. That’s why he’s put in this position.”analyzes the former Parisian on Rothen ignitesthis Friday on
RMC.
Rothen does not question the talent of Rayan Cherki, recognized by his teammates and coaches, and highlights his progress with Manchester City. “I’ve watched every City game since his debut, whether he came on or started. All superfluous gestures he put aside. The adaptation is done perfectly with City and Guardiola”he observes.
“He doesn’t respect the jersey enough”
But the situation is quite different in the French team.
“In the first half, 45 minutes was enough for me. You have the French team jersey on your shoulders, it’s an important match… All the superfluous gestures that he had erased with Lyon then City, he allows himself to redo them. For what ? Because he doesn’t respect the jersey enough? I have doubts about his state of mind, about the efforts he makes and about all these useless gestures”asks Rothen.
The consultant mainly points to a state of mind
“not impeccable”. Replaced in the 68th minute by Maghnes Akliouche, Cherki “does not care about the world, about the collective. He played to amuse the gallery. If after three selections, he adopts this state of mind, what will that look like over 40 selections? He blew a joker. Perhaps this wildcard will be definitive for the World Cup, because places are expensive. »
Already assured of participating in the World Cup, the France team will face a final, pressure-free meeting on Sunday (6 p.m.) against Azerbaijan. If the sporting challenge is limited, several Blues will have the opportunity to show themselves to convince with a view to the final list, and Rayan Cherki could try to relaunch his candidacy there.
