Latest news with #RayanCherki
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Manchester City have been busy this summer, but still aren't favoured for any trophies next season
The 2024/25 campaign offered a rare sight from Pep Guardiola — a sign that his teams are not bulletproof. Not in the slightest. After winning four Premier League titles on the trot, City went from looking immortal to looking like imposters as they went through a turbulent period of 11 games without a win and plummeted down the table. Advertisement They did manage to recover mid-way through the campaign and added signings like Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez as they rallied to secure a third-placed finish — despite fears they could miss out on Champions League football altogether. It was only the second trophyless season of Guardiola's managerial career and now it's up to the Spaniard to build up City's fear factor again, starting with the Club World Cup. The Sky Blues are currently 5/1 with Betfair to win the tournament. City can lay down a real marker in the United States by showing the rest of the world they mean business — and they're already on the way to doing just that with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad. The game saw Phil Foden impress with a goal and assist after having a difficult last campaign. Two of their new signings started the game — midfielders Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders. Cherki scored 12 and assisted 20 times for Lyon last season and is seen as the long-term successor to the outgoing Kevin De Bruyne. He could be the difference for City this season. With Cherki pulling the strings and providing for forwards like Erling Haaland, Marmoush and Savinho, City have a great chance of toppling champions Liverpool this time around. Meanwhile, Reijnders joined for £43million from AC Milan and Guardiola admitted he was happy with how both players looked on the pitch after the game — but it was the return of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri that really boosted them. 'Of course, Rodri will be important,' the coach said after the game. 'We have to adjust to many things, but step by step.' Rodri managed to play half an hour and suddenly a huge hole from last season has been filled. With his presence in midfield alongside the likes of Reijnders, Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic, City can really dominate games again and play the way the manager wants them to. Another problem that has been solved is at left-back. Guardiola started last season without many recognised options in the position and was forced to play youngster Nico O'Reilly there at times. Now they have Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri to call upon, providing more solidity at the back — though he did not feature against Wydad. Advertisement So all of a sudden, you start to think City could become a global force again. They've got a superb midfield — with Rodri at the heart of it — and an attacking frontline that any team in world football would love to have. Perhaps only more defensive reinforcements are necessary. With no recognisable right-back present and Kyle Walker on his way out, a new man in that role would complete the set. Of course, going toe-to-toe with Liverpool will be a challenge, given that Arne Slot's side are set to sign Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz — who is rated as one of the best players in the game right now — for an English record fee of £116.5m. The Reds have also added Jeremie Frimpong and fellow full-back Milos Kerkez is about to join from Bournemouth. With Chelsea still looking like a work in progress under Enzo Maresca and Arsenal lacking the star forward they need to challenge for the title, you can't look beyond Liverpool and City as the favourites for the Premier League title. Betfair have Liverpool as 15/8 favourites to retain their crown, but City's position as the nearest challengers is reflected with odds of 9/4, making them second favourites ahead of Arsenal (5/2). As for the Champions League, City look like outsiders to become champions again, with odds of 8/1. Liverpool are the favourites to become champions of Europe for the first time since 2019 at 11/2, with Real Madrid (13/2) and Arsenal (7/1) the next best-backed teams. Reigning champions PSG are also at 7/1, with City the fifth-favourites. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Tijjani Reijnders: David Ramos / Getty Images)
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pep Guardiola hints at new Manchester City role for Phil Foden in 2025/26 season
Phil Foden could be set to take on a new role in Manchester City's system, as hinted by head coach Pep Guardiola this week. The England international returned to action for the new 2025/26 season with a bang as he provided both a goal and an assist in Manchester City's opening victory of the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Advertisement Scoring inside the opening two minutes, Foden inspired his side on to a convincing victory over Wydad AC in the group stage of the competition, before delivering the perfect corner for Jeremy Doku to volley home before the stroke of half-time. With Kevin De Bruyne departing the club and Manchester City recruiting Rayan Cherki from Lyon for the number 10 role, many have been wondering how that could impact Phil Foden's positional availability in Pep Guardiola's side. Operating through the middle alongside the aforementioned France international, Wednesday afternoon perhaps offered the first glimpse into the all-energy approach that Guardiola is attempting to implement in his forward line. And speaking to broadcasters after Manchester City's 2-0 win over Wydad AC in their opening contest of the Club World Cup, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on the importance of Foden after his match-winning performance in Philadelphia. Advertisement 'Of course he will be important [this season],' Guardiola insisted. The Catalan tactician continued, 'He plays another role, more there, we have a lot of No10s, we have to adjust many things, but step by step.' For now, it remains to be seen exactly what Pep Guardiola's preference is for the attacking midfield ranks in his side, although the remainder of the Club World Cup could offer some insight into the vision for the new season. Manchester City will next take on the United Arab Emirates' Al Ain on matchday two of the group stage, with the Middle-Eastern club falling to a tough 0-5 defeat on their own opening game of the competition at the hands of Juventus. Pep Guardiola has already stated that the clash against the side in Atlanta, Georgia at the weekend could see a heavily rotated line-up fielded, with as many as 10 new players anticipated for the contest.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Pep Guardiola 'hints that it was NOT his decision to sign £34M newcomer Rayan Cherki' - as he insists that it will be 'difficult' replace Kevin De Bruyne
Pep Guardiola appeared to offer a hint that Manchester City 's signing of Rayan Cherki wasn't his alone as he shared his thoughts on the new midfielder after his side's first Club World Cup match. The 21-year-old was one of the hottest prospects of the transfer market, with rivals Manchester United and Liverpool both thought to have circled the player on the heels of a successful season at Lyon. Cherki was named UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season after finishing as the competition's top assist provider in the competition, and has been labelled one of finest technicians on the continent. Guardiola's side secured the midfielder for £34million as part of the club's wholesale rebuild this summer, which has included drafting in Chelsea 's third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, former Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri and AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. But after assessing one of his first performances against Moroccan outfit Wydad AC, which saw the serial winners claim an opening 2-0 victory on American soil, Guardiola let slip a telling detail about his newest player. 'Of course Kevin (De Bruyne) is difficult to replace, we know that,' Guardiola told reporters. 'For the quality he has, there is no doubt about it, but at the same time, the club decided on Rayan because he has incredible skills close to the box and great vision, pass in many things. 'It was just a first game with tough, tough conditions,' Guardiola added. 'I'm really pleased he came here.' Cherki for his part has been outspoken about how much wanting to work with Guardiola drove his desire to sign for the club. 'When I spoke with Pep and he wanted me - he was very, very clear,' Cherki told reporters this week. 'That the system, the club, the city is very good. I want to win and I think City wants to win it all. For me that's better. 'When you see Rodri, he won the Ballon d'Or here – it's clear that with City it's possible and I am here for this.' Guardiola is also thought to have discussed Cherki's preferred position with the player after inking his deal, with the Catalan manager reassuring his new signing that he can be 'free'. 'I spoke with Pep about my position on the pitch and we spoke about what I enjoy when I'm on the pitch. It's very good for me,' Cherki continued. 'He told me he loves a No10, but now I play all the positions in the pitch - so it's not complicated because I just want to play. 'Pep told me, 'when you have the ball, you are free' which is very good for me because it's my first quality to help the team.'
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
What Rayan Cherki's Man City debut tells us about his future
At the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, there was an NFL-edge to Rayan Cherki 's first Manchester City appearance. In the one-by-one player introductions, similar to that of the American Football stars appearing before a game, Pep Guardiola 's new man entered centre stage for City. He brings promise of a return to the sort of form that saw the Blue side of Manchester win four consecutive Premier Leagues, after a season where the club faltered and were miles off the title-winning pace set by Arne Slot's impressive Liverpool. At a half-empty Lincoln Financial Field, with a boisterous presence from Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the crowd (at one point stopping the game because of a waft a red smoke flares waving over the pitch), Cherki made a good first impression but only in bursts. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku netted the goals, while 21-year-old Cherki showed glimpses of why City poached him from Lyon. He did not light the game on fire, admittedly, though with a few clever touches and eye-catching runs that were not found he showed promise in a 60-minute debut. Interesting movement from City's new man As well as signing Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers and midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, who looked composed in the centre of midfield on his debut, Cherki has bolstered a City line-up that is now without the talents of Kevin De Bruyne. Facing an aggressive Wydad side, Cherki dipped further back into midfield for the ball, roaming free around the centre of the pitch. He pushed ahead into what broadcasters DAZN detailed as a 4-4-2 at the start of the second 45, leading the line alongside Omar Mamoush. In just an hour of action, Cherki's potential impact at City is hard to judge fully. But, from what the Frenchman did show, he has the promise that Guardiola must have seen in him to bring him to the Premier League. A fluid City side made Cherki float, moving in an interesting way around midfield and running into the channels at times. He showed a burst of pace to get in behind, but he has never found by one of the other creative forces in the team. Rejinder's talents were hidden in his deeper role, with Cherki instead handed the spotlight. Cherki takes a while to get going Aside from a few flicks and tricks early on, Cherki took his time to get into the game in earnest. He grew as the first half went on but was hooked off just after the hour mark in a sign that he perhaps had not influenced the game as much as Guardiola would have liked. Overall, he had little impact on the game. But, the important thing was that he showed signs of his talents – it is a strange environment to be asked to play your best stuff, with a blistering midday heat covering the half-filled 68,000-seater stadium. He netted 12 times across all competitions last term, playing 44 games while adding 20 assists too. In what Guardiola described as 'very tough conditions', Cherki's performance did not jump out. Floating around, at times without any tangible direction, he meandered through some of the opening 45 minutes. But when he had the ball, he demonstrated a sharp touch, while out of possession he showed a clear knack at getting into some very good positions when the likes of Foden, Marmoush, and Savinho were poised to play the killer pass. It is not a debut that will make any headlines, but Cherki showed he has the potential to become an important player for Manchester City.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Many good things' in Club World Cup opener
Pep Guardiola says he saw "many good things" as Manchester City opened their Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Moroccan side Wydad AC. New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki started for City in Philadelphia as first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku secured the victory before Rico Lewis was sent off late on. Advertisement "We had good moments, many new players and the first game in this group stage is always important," Guardiola said post-match. "We started really well then after had some problems, especially when losing simple balls. "But I saw many good things. The first three points is important." City now travel to Atlanta to face Abu Dhabi's Al Ain on Monday [02:00 BST], with a win guaranteeing safe progress to the last 16. "We have the second one to try to arrive in the last game as qualified - then the last game to define if we're first [in the group[]," Guardiola said. Advertisement "We'll recover, train good in the next few days and then have fresh legs for the next game. "We'll try to step by step improve things. It's normal in this stage with new players and a lot of people coming from big injuries. "Many players, we need to give them minutes otherwise if they come back from a long injury and don't play they'll never get it. "Next game, 10 new players will be there to try and win."
