- Rayan Cherki less impactful in recent matches
- Antoine Semenyo ineffective on right wing
- Something must change immediately
Playing Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo in their current positions is not working, but there is a simple solution available to Pep Guardiola.
Every single player in Manchester City’s attacking line is of the highest class, but in the past few games there have been two weak links.
Antoine Semenyo has been the most notable. He is averaging fewer touches than Jeremy Doku each game, and has gone four successive Premier League matches without registering a goal contribution.
Rayan Cherki is the other, having looked a shadow of his usual self since the 2-1 FA Cup win over Southampton.
The struggles of these excellent players needs to be resolved, because at their best they could be crucial in Man City’s ongoing pursuit of silverware.
Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki are struggling in their current positons
Recently, Pep Guardiola has been playing Cherki down the middle, while Semenyo has operated on the right wing.
In fairness, Semenyo was not bad against Brentford last Saturday, However, there was only one occasion when he created a good goalscoring opportunity, as he played a promising cross to Erling Haaland.
Still, the winger has been a bit ineffective in recent games, particularly against Arsenal and Burnley.
Then there is Cherki, who had a fairly decent game against Everton, but struggled when facing Southampton and Brentford.
The France international was swarmed by the Bees’ defenders, and he became crowded out in the middle of the pitch.
Pep Guardiola should switch Semenyo and Cherki around
Semenyo plays best as a left winger, as seen by his spell at Bournemouth. However, he is not going to get a game there ahead of Doku.
The next best thing for him would be to play through the middle. Just look at the goal he scored against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals. A centralised run and a deadly finish.
Ultimately, Semenyo plays better when he is more involved, and he ends up becoming irrelevant when he is so tight to the right flank.
Whereas Cherki would make use of the space available to him and return to creating moments of magic.
The 22-year-old would cut inside with the ball and cause defenders problems with his flair and eye for goal.
Man City need both players at their best
City’s biggest problem against Everton was their defending, but they have lost matches this season due to failing to issues with creativity and finishing.
It is crucial that the Citizens outscore their opponent in every game, which means Guardiola needs all four of his attackers to be performing at their best.
Semenyo and Cherki have not become worse overnight, they just need a positional adjustment to help them thrive.
Guardiola needs to freshen things up a bit, but this does not necessarily mean benching his regular starters.
He just needs to move two of his attackers around and watch on as they play with more freedom and involvement in the game.
