Cherki's cameo shows Maresca has a different kind of weapon at his disposal
There are match-winners, and then there are players who change the geometry of a game. Rayan Cherki, it seems, belongs to the latter category.
The French international came off the bench in the 63rd minute last Sunday as City trailed Bournemouth at the Etihad. By full-time, he had set up both goals in a 2-1 comeback victory that got the 2026-27 Premier League campaign off to a spirited start.
His decisive moment arrived in the 91st minute. Cherki held off two Bournemouth defenders, spotted Josko Gvardiol in space just inside the area, and played a through ball that the Croatian dispatched with his right foot after working the shooting opportunity with some neat footwork.
It was the kind of intervention that managers talk about in hushed tones. Enzo Maresca, speaking ahead of City's trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, was happy to spell it out.
“Rayan made an impact the other day [vs Bournemouth]. For sure, he’s one of the players in terms of quality; he’s a different player compared to the rest because he can give us, in some moments when we struggle but especially in the last third; it’s what we need.”
That last part matters. Every squad has players who can run, press, and recycle possession. Few have someone who can unlock a packed defence with a single pass, who can take the ball under pressure and still find the killer ball.
Maresca acknowledged that Cherki offers an attacking threat that no other City player does. The manager also pointed out that Cherki is still young — 22 or 23 — and that he is happy with the way he is working.
If Sunday's cameo is anything to go by, that work is already paying dividends. Cherki did not just add quality; he added a dimension. And against a Bournemouth side that had made life difficult, that dimension proved decisive.
Palace, no doubt, will have taken note. Stopping Cherki for 63 minutes is one thing. Stopping him for 90 is quite another.