A game-breaking playmaker simply has to start for Manchester City against West Ham | OneFootball

The drastic changes that Pep Guardiola made to his Manchester City starting lineup for their 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg tie at the Bernabeu have been well covered. Guardiola took a risk by playing Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, and Erling Haaland from the start in Madrid. The bold selection failed as City now face a battle to progress in the Champions League. Before the second leg next week at the Etihad, City face a must-win Premier League fixture against West Ham tomorrow night. Looking at how City may line up, Rayan Cherki simply has to start at the London Stadium. City need the control and game-breaking impact that Cherki can provide against West Ham.

Manchester City need Cherki to start in place of Savinho to add the creativity to City’s play that they need.

Savinho played very well in Manchester City’s 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win over Newcastle United last weekend. Savinho’s performance earned him a spot in City’s starting eleven against Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola started all three of Semenyo, Doku, and Savinho with Erling Haaland at the Bernabeu. That move didn’t work, and Manchester City’s system and the tactics that had worked so well went out the window in Madrid. Looking at City’s match against West Ham, Rayan Cherki has to start in place of Savinho, and Pep Guardiola needs to return to the setup that has served his team so well.

Rayan Cherki starred for Manchester City in their 1-0 win over Leeds at Elland Road at the end of February. Cherki pulled the strings drifting all over the pitch at Elland Road. He opened up the Leeds defence with a superb pass to play in Rayan Ait-Nouri to set up Antoine Semenyo’s winning goal against Leeds. More than that, Cherki put in one of his strongest overall performances of the season against Leeds. Manchester City need that against West Ham tomorrow night.

West Ham will likely play in a similar manner to the way that Leeds played at Elland Road. Nuno Espirito Santo will set up his team to defend deep and look to hit City on the counter. That is West Ham’s likely path to victory at the London Stadium. To counter that, Cherki is the ideal player to come into the City starting lineup. Cherki’s strengths as a player are well-known. If West Ham sit deep in a low block, Pep Guardiola’s side needs a player to unlock that setup. Cherki is that player, and surely he starts tomorrow night.

Pep Guardiola must revert back to the system that works and throw the exotic ideas out the window.

Outside of Cherki starting, Pep Guardiola simply must revert back to the system that has served his side so well. Matheus Nunes and Rayan Ait-Nouri must start in the full-back positions. In midfield, Rodri/Nico, Bernardo Silva and Nico O’Reilly must start in midfield. Up front, Cherki, Semenyo or Doku and Haaland or Marmoush have to start. That’s the lineup and team set up that saw City go eleven matches unbeaten before the horror show against Real Madrid. The time for exotic lineups and drastic changes has passed.

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola need to revert to what is familiar against West Ham. They have a system that works. Also, Rayan Cherki needs to start at the London Stadium. Cherki’s inclusion in the starting lineup and reverting to a familiar system should be Manchester City’s path to three points against West Ham tomorrow.