After a World Cup spent in the shadows, Rayan Cherki should have left his mark… but the Manchester City attacking midfielder did none of that. Starting in support of Kylian Mbappé last night against England (4-6), the ex-Lyonnais did everything in reverse, like his teammate Désiré Doué, who was also expected. The two players were finally replaced by Didier Deschamps at half-time.
The first caught the attention of the journalists present at the stadium, but not necessarily for the right reasons. As revealed by The TeamRayan Cherki had a heated exchange with his coach during the meeting. At the cool-off break, Deschamps asked him to release the ball more quickly, and Cherki responded curtly. Rather than getting angry, the coach would have turned to Olise, whom he encouraged, and to Doué and Mbappé, for whom he then had a few words.
“And he intended to shake up the hierarchy after the preparation?”
This scene earned Cherki some criticism from the French daily, which named a list of culprits this morning: Konaté, Théo Hernandez, Doué mais “in particular Rayan Cherki, who largely refused to listen to Deschamps’ advice during the first cool-down break and who found it justifiable to have this attitude in his first World Cup.” Awarded a 3 on our site, the 22-year-old player receives an even harsher rating in The Team : 2/10. And the appreciation is salty.
“And he intended to shake up the hierarchy after the preparation? The former Lyonnais completed a decent first ten minutes punctuated by a good ball towards Mbappé (8th) and a dangerous strike (11th). What followed looked like a nightmare: bad choices, slow balls, little efficient defensive activity. He had the good taste to get into trouble with Deschamps during the refreshment break.” RMC Sport also gives it a score of 2/10 and summarizes it as follows: “Cherki will have missed out on his World Cup.” The Parisian speaks of a “Disappointing Cherki”as West France : “Cherki what a disappointment. In line with his entries so far, he had a very discreet first tenure, and so far from his potential, symbol of a very disappointing World Cup. An examination of conscience is expected.
