Manchester City: Enzo Maresca raves about Rayan Cherki!

The Italian coach sees Rayan Cherki as an exceptional player, but has set him a very specific tactical requirement

Europe Today at 12:30

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Manchester City: Enzo Maresca raves about Rayan Cherki!

At Manchester City, Rayan Cherki has impressed Enzo Maresca. The Italian coach lavished praise on the Frenchman while highlighting one area for improvement.

Six goals and two assists in just eleven appearances in all competitions: Rayan Cherki's start to the season has not left his coach indifferent. Having arrived from Olympique Lyonnais, the Manchester City attacking midfielder is establishing himself as one of the Citizens' main sources of creativity. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the trip to Aston Villa, Enzo Maresca gave a particularly flattering assessment of his No. 10.

“One of the best players in Europe”

“At the moment, Rayan is one of the best players in Europe when he is in the right position,” said the Italian coach. For Maresca, everything depends on where the Frenchman receives the ball: “When we manage to find him between the lines, he is always dangerous.”

His recent performances support that assessment. Cherki notably scored against Liverpool and then against AEK Athens on Tuesday in the Champions League, during the Mancunians' 5-1 win. Against the Greek club, his ability to beat opponents in tight spaces once again highlighted his value in the final third.

A tactical adjustment without sacrificing his creativity

While Maresca admires his technique, he also wants to channel his movement. Drawn to the ball, Cherki sometimes drops too deep or moves wide to help build play, risking vacating the areas where he can make the difference. “He loves the ball and moving around a lot, so he is often out of that position,” the coach observed.

There is no question, however, of turning the Frenchman into a static player. “That is something he has to keep; he loves the ball and I am not going to take that away from his game. We need to find the right balance,” Maresca insisted. The idea is clear: preserve Cherki's inspiration while increasing the frequency with which he receives the ball between the lines and near the penalty area.

🗣️ « 𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗟'𝗨𝗡 𝗗𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗝𝗢𝗨𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗗'𝗘𝗨𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗤𝗨'𝗜𝗟 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗜𝗘𝗡 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘 » 🩵🇫🇷 Enzo Maresca s'est enflammé au sujet de Rayan Cherki, auteur de 6 buts et deux passes décisives en 11 matchs toutes compétitions confondues 👇 « Lorsque nous parvenons à le trouver entre les lignes, 𝗶𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘂𝘅. Si nous parvenons à le maintenir à la bonne place et à le trouver, 𝗰'𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹'𝘂𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀. Mais il adore le ballon et se déplace beaucoup, 𝗰𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗾𝘂'𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻... En termes de statistiques, de buts et de passes décisives, 𝗶𝗹 𝗿𝗲́𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲. À la bonne place, 𝗶𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱'𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲. » 🔥 🎙️ Conférence de presse
— Vibes Foot (@VibesFoot) October 22, 2026

With already eight goal contributions in eleven appearances, the France international has a strong case for establishing himself in the Mancunians' starting XI on a long-term basis. His next challenge will be to combine technical freedom with positional discipline, a combination that could further increase his influence on City's play.

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