Returning from a thigh injury, Rayan Cherki has already been decisive with Manchester City, scoring two goals and three assists since October. The Frenchman brings joy to England and Pep Guardiola: “ his vision of the game in the final third is excellent. He shows consistency and boldness. But given our dynamic style of play, we need to give him more time », indicated the Catalan manager, who started him during the shock won against Liverpool (3-0).
But if England praises the Lyon prodigy, it’s a different story in France. Called up by Didier Deschamps for the November rally, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder played 68 minutes of play against Ukraine, then 29 minutes against Azerbaijan. Without being decisive, Didier Deschamps recognized “ that it has above average technical quality “. “ There are things to improve on what he did on Thursday. It also depends on a collective. His positioning was a little too low in this match. He played this hour », after his performance against Ukraine.
A style of play that annoys
A logical statement for a young player, who was only playing his fourth cap. But Cityzen’s style of play has nevertheless irritated a lot in the media, with some believing that it does not match what Didier Deschamps is asking. “ The scarf attack in the third selection… When you have missed so many things at the start of the match, when you have slowed down the entire game of the France team, you come and do a scarf attack and you lose control and it goes unnoticed, no one says anything to him (…). I won’t even talk about the technical execution of his match, which was abominable. I’m just talking about the state of mind. You must be impeccable “, for example, criticized Jérôme Rothen.
Joined by Raymond Domenech, who assures that “ he has no chance » to go to the World Cup: “ Akliouche, Olise and Nkunku are his competitors. A place in the squad for the World Cup? Ah, but I don’t believe it! The coach brought him in when the match was over… What did he bring? Nothing “. Journalist Grégory Schneider adds: “ the difference in consideration between Cherki (substitute for City, Lyon player with the modest results that go with it) and Akliouche (who took AS Monaco to the Champions League, who plays simple, who put Cherki on the bench during the Olympic Games) amazes me “.
Too harsh criticism?
However, Rayan Cherki didn’t miss anything and was even available during his first half against Ukraine. Credited with a 6/10 by our editorial team, the Cityzen displays 89% successful passes, only 15 balls lost out of 91 touchdowns and remains praised by part of the media class: “ I am very surprised by the harshness of the media world on the Cherki match, in the first hour, he is the best Frenchman », assured the journalist Philippe Carayon on Canal+.
And for his part, the former Lyonnais does not intend to change his game, but to refine it in order to do much better. “ I’m a simple person, I like to laugh, I like to give pleasure to my coach, to give pleasure to the people who come to the stadium. I have often said it and I will continue (…). That’s why it’s simple: you put me on the pitch, I try to do what I have to do. Sometimes it can be complicated, like for everyone. There, I’m happy, but I definitely need to do better “, he blurted. But beyond the media debates, we will have to continue this momentum with Manchester City to hope to have a place at the 2026 World Cup, in a list where the competition will be tough.
