"I played so sh*t" — Man City leader makes candid admission after Crystal Palace match
Rayan Cherki demanded a little more time — and then made sure Enzo Maresca had no reason to take him off.
Details: Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki made a brutally honest assessment of his own performance after the Citizens' 4-1 Premier League victory away to Crystal Palace. The Frenchman admitted that his first half was far below the level he expects from himself and revealed that head coach Enzo Maresca was already considering replacing him.
Cherki eventually remained on the pitch and completely changed the impression of his display after the break. The French international scored twice in five minutes as Manchester City pulled away from Palace, while Erling Haaland also finished the evening with a brace.
After the final whistle, Cherki revealed the conversation he had with Maresca when he realized a substitution was being prepared:
“I told Enzo Maresca, give me 5 more minutes - you won’t need to make any changes. My performance in the first half was so so. We didn't find the spaces - I played so sh*t. When I see Enzo wanted to change me I didn't like it. I need to show him I want to play, I want to score, I want to give assists for Erling. Today I didn't give much balls to Erling, but the next time I want to give him a lot of balls.”
It is worth noting that Cherki has started the new Premier League campaign in impressive fashion: after providing two assists against Bournemouth in the opening round, he scored twice against Crystal Palace. That leaves the Frenchman with two goals and two assists after Manchester City's first two league matches.
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Steven Perez
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