Pep Guardiola has compared Rayan Cherki with one of the greatest players to have represented Manchester City due to a key attribute of his game.
Manchester City are preparing for their FA Cup fifth round clash against Newcastle and Pep Guardiola will be expecting Rayan Cherki to step up.
The 22-year-old really began to show his attacking abilities towards the back end of last year, but he has struggled for goals and assists in more recent times.
However, Cherki did manage to set up Antoine Semenyo last Wednesday when the Ghanian opened the scoring against Nottingham Forest.
With another massive game approaching, the attacking midfielder will be keen to once again show why he deserves to keep his spot in the starting lineup.
Pep Guardiola compares Rayan Cherki with Kevin De Bruyne
Guardiola has been delighted by what he has seen from Cherki, but he is keen for the Frenchman to play further up the pitch and showcase his attacking qualities.
The Man City manager has no concerns about the star following his instructions, because he is both committed to improving and a good listener.
Speaking in his press conference, Guardiola told the media: “All I want from Rayan is to give his talent to us. The only thing I ask from him is to play 10 metres further forward. His talent close to Rodri? I don’t care. [I want him] close to Erling.
How come we scored the first goal [vs Nottigham Forest]? Him being closer. How come the [Rayan] Ait-Nouri assist vs Leeds? He’s close to the box. Live closer to the box, because he’s unique. That’s all I ask. He likes to go a little bit deep, but he’s young.
“His numbers and his impact in his first season in the Premier League have been massive. I’m delighted. What he gives to us. He’s trying. We always tell [the players] to add stuff to their game for the team, he always listens and wants to do it. I’m really surprised how open he is and his commitment to want to do it.”
Guardiola then proceeded to compare Cherki’s vision with that of Kevin De Bruyne, who is one of the very best to have played under the Catalan boss at City.
He added: “Egoistically I want his talent in the final third, because he’s unique. Has vision in his passing, like Kevin [De Bruyne]. When I played Kevin I wanted him close to the box. I don’t want him in right-back positions. It’s not easy because the space is minimal but he has the ability to find the small spaces to create, with his talent.”
Man City have to be better in attack
Recently, Man City’s attacking threat has looked quite underwhelming, with the Sky Blues only scoring up to two goals in their past four matches.
Wasting opportunities is an issue, but that is always going to be the case no matter how well a team are playing.
What is perhaps a greater concern is that chance creation has been lacking, allowing the opposition to feel more comfortable and grow into the game.
Therefore, Cherki must get himself into the attacking areas and use his clever passing to break through Newcastle’s defensive line.
