Guardiola hails Cherki’s goal against Arsenal but says he wants “five of those actions” per game
City manager notes 22-year-old tends to disappear when City are winning comfortably
Guardiola insists there is significant room for growth for Frenchman, whose talent can’t be bought
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has detailed the elements of Rayan Cherki’s game that can be worked on ahead of Wednesday’s game against Burnley.
Cherki’s solo effort in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium was widely described as one of the goals of the season, a swerving, instinctive finish that announced the scale of his talent to a global audience watching one of the most significant Premier League fixtures in years.
Yet Guardiola, while effusive in his praise, was equally candid about the areas where he believes the 22-year-old must improve if he is to fulfil the extraordinary potential he so obviously possesses.
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The comments reflect a broader pattern that has run through Cherki’s debut season in English football, moments of breathtaking brilliance punctuated by periods of relative anonymity, particularly when City take control of a game and the urgency that brings out his best dissipates.
Ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League meeting with Burnley at Turf Moor, Guardiola was glowing in his initial appraisal of Cherki’s goal against Arsenal before pivoting sharply to what he wants to see more of.
“What a goal, right? But I like to push him,” Guardiola said. “He was extraordinary. What I like the most is the difficulties, 1-0, 0-0, going down, always he makes a step forward.
“But sometimes when we are 2-0 up, 3-0 up, he’s not involved anymore. So he makes an incredible goal, but after that – maybe it was for the way we play – we didn’t find him much, after the goal.
“And I want him more and that action that he has done, I want five of them! Not finishing with a goal, right, but more actions to pass at the end, and it didn’t happen.”
The demand for “five of those actions” rather than one is a telling indicator of how high Guardiola’s bar is set for Cherki and how far the City manager believes the young Frenchman is still from meeting it on a regular basis.
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Guardiola did not shy away from acknowledging the specific tendency that concerns him most – Cherki’s propensity to fade from games once City establish a lead.
“Sometimes in the last games when we went 2-0 up or the other one, he is like, not disappear. He has the biggest attribute when it’s 0-0, going down, we found him more. But I think it’s part of the process,” Guardiola added.
The 55-year-old was quick to contextualise his criticism, however, pointing to Cherki’s age and the natural arc of development that still lies ahead of him.
Guardiola added: “How old is he? 22, 23 years old? So young! As much as you want to learn or want to be still this sense of being incredibly competitive, he’ll become a top player because the goal he has scored is Rayan Cherki. So this cannot be taught, cannot be guided, it’s just his amazing talent that he has.”
The distinction Guardiola draws is an important one. The instinct, the vision, the audacity to attempt and execute a goal of that calibre in that moment, those qualities are innate.
What can be developed, and what Guardiola is clearly working on, is the discipline and intensity to sustain that level of contribution across 95 minutes regardless of the scoreline.