Rayan Cherki has six goals and two assists in twelve appearances this season. That's a fine return for a 23-year-old. It's also a return that makes his half-time hookings look increasingly odd.
The half-time pattern
Four times this season, Cherki has been substituted at the break. Four. That's a third of his appearances.
Some of those changes made sense. In the 1-0 win at Old Trafford, Phil Foden's red card forced Enzo Maresca to shuffle his pack, and Cherki was the one replaced by Iliman Ndiaye. Against PSG, City were 3-0 down at the break and Maresca rang the changes; Cherki came off. The game ended 4-2 to the French side.
Against Aston Villa, Cherki was on a yellow card and replaced by Foden at the interval. City lost 2-1 — their first Premier League defeat at Villa Park. A booking and a cautious referee can make a manager's mind up.
Then there's Norwich City in the Carabao Cup. Cherki played a half, scored, and was taken off in a 5-0 win. That one feels less like a tactical masterstroke and more like a pre-planned substitution.
The counter-example
And then there's Crystal Palace. At Selhurst Park, Cherki was almost taken off at half-time. Maresca left him on. He scored a brace in a 4-1 win.
That's the crux of it. The 45-minute hook isn't a hard rule — it's a choice. And when the choice goes the other way, Cherki tends to repay it.
Six goals and two assists in twelve appearances is not the record of a player who needs protecting. It's the record of a player who needs minutes.