There is a Manchester City player who is grasping the City principles quicker than expected | OneFootball

Rayan Cherki put in his second consecutive impressive performance for Manchester City in their 2-1 win over Real Madrid. Cherki’s performance in his team’s 3-nil win over Sunderland last weekend created headlines for his second-half display where his Rabona assist for Phil Foden more than caught the eye. The French international produced another strong performance last night at the Bernabeu as he helped City pick up a precious win in their matchday six Champions League league phase fixture against Real Madrid. In the process, Cherki showed that he is picking up the Manchester City principles a lot quicker than expected.

Rayan Cherki put in the type of performance that Manchester City needed against Real Madrid.

Manchester City needed to dig deep to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last night. Yes, Xabi Alonso’s side was depleted with a host of players unavailable due to injury. But they are a formidable opponent at home and to leave Madrid with three points, City had to pick their moments in possession and show their character and resilience to beat Real Madrid. City did just that. Nico O’Reilly was a standout performer for City, as was Ruben Dias. Rayan Cherki was another, albeit in a completely different manner than his performance against Sunderland.

What stood out to me with Rayan Cherki’s game was how well he controlled the tempo of last night’s match. The French international knew when to slow the game down for his team to keep possession and when to try and make an impact with a piece of skill, a through ball or by fashioning himself an opportunity to score. The tricks and flicks that catch the eye in Cherki’s game were there on occasion. One nutmeg on Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger in the first half caught the eye. But more important than that, Cherki looked every bit a Manchester City player last night. He picked his moments extremely well and on a big Champions League night against an opponent who thrives in the competition, Cherki put in a mature performance.

Rayan Cherki looks to be quickly becoming a key player for City.

Rayan Cherki’s past two performances have been superb. His displays against Sunderland and Real Madrid have been vastly different but critical to Manchester City’s victories. What Cherki has shown is that he is quickly becoming an important player for Pep Guardiola’s side. That is a credit to Pep Guardiola’s management to have Cherki up to speed so quickly. It is also a credit to Cherki to put Pep Guardiola’s demands to practice so quickly. Cherki isn’t yet the finished product as a City player, he still has much learning to do. But he has quickly grasped the Manchester City way and that stood out last night.

Rayan Cherki has always been a player who deserves to be playing on the biggest stage given his quality and pedigree. He showed that last night. He also showed that he has quickly come to grips with Pep Guardiola’s demands and that has seen him perform extremely well at the Bernabeu and quickly become a key player for his team.