Rayan Cherki fired Manchester City to a 4-1 Premier League win at Crystal Palace after convincing coach Enzo Maresca not to substitute him at half-time. The 23-year-old scored twice after the break to give City a control they never relinquished, securing a second straight league win.
Cherki pleads to stay on
Maresca had been unhappy with Cherki after the winger produced two assists off the bench against Bournemouth last week, having not started that game. A few days later, the coach was again unhappy with the player — this time for his first-half display at Selhurst Park.
Cherki admitted he was not playing well and feared being replaced, but asked for more time to prove himself.
"When I see the coach want to change me, I'm not happy with that. I understand because I don't play well in the first half. I need to show him that I'm here to help the team," he said.
"I said 'Enzo, give me five minutes and I'll show you'. Just that. Because it's true, I didn't play well in the first half. But we know Crystal Palace defend very well. They closed the space inside for me. We have big space outside for Josko, for Nico, for Antoine, for Phil."
Boxing metaphor for second-half display
Cherki, a keen boxer, compared his performance to a fight after being given more freedom in the second half.
"When I take more freedom in the second half, it was much better. It's like a boxing match. We see, we feel and we feel where is the space," he said.
City have plenty of work to do in the final days of the transfer window, with at least three new players needed. Palmeiras winger Allan is expected to join, Enzo Fernandez is another anticipated arrival, while Everton's Iliman Ndiaye and Liverpool's Cody Gakpo are among other attacking options being considered in a spending spree that could exceed £450m and break the British transfer record.
Praise for Maresca
Despite needing reinforcements, Maresca has made a positive start since replacing Pep Guardiola. Wins from the opening two league games have erased memories of the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, and the players already at the Etihad are enjoying working with the new coach.
"We love to play. We love to play. It's the identity of Manchester City," said Cherki. "And we are very happy with that. Enzo is a very, very big coach. We feel when we train, we feel he knows a lot. And for us, it's very nice. And we want to work with him. We want to win with him."
