Rayan Cherki: Man City star’s baffling struggles likely to continue after ‘insulting’ Arsenal incident

Rayan Cherki’s lack of playing time at times has Manchester City supporters surprised by Pep Guardiola’s decisions.

Before back-to-back starts against Arsenal and Real Madrid, the Frenchman had only been given limited minutes off the bench in three consecutive games across all competitions.

This included a season-defining 1-1 draw against West Ham, a result which might have handed Arsenal the Premier League title, and he was only on the pitch for the final 30 minutes.

With the second-most chances created in that time, he clearly earned Guardiola’s trust, despite Man City drawing with West Ham, but all that hard work may have been undone by the 22-year-old.

Pep Guardiola was visibly frustrated by Rayan Cherki

During the Carabao Cup final win over the Gunners on Sunday, 22 March, controversy surrounded the tricky attacker after doing kicky-ups in the middle of the pitch.

Cameras panned to Guardiola after the incident, and it was quite clear that the Catalan was far from pleased by his unsportsmanlike behaviour at Wembley Stadium, later being clattered by Ben White for it.

Speaking live on-air about the situation, Alan Pardew blasted Cherki’s actions as an “insult,” and it is safe to say that Arsenal fans were furious with the player for showing off as well.

It was a stunning performance from the Frenchman, but this one moment could see him sent back to the bench after the international break, unfortunately for the Citizens.

Man City fans to fear rumours surrounding Cherki’s early exit

Guardiola is one of the best in the business when it comes to player management, having worked with some of the best players, but also those with big egos, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Yaya Toure.

Of course, those two players appeared to fall out with the manager behind the scenes, and supporters will be hoping that he can avoid a repeat with Cherki in what could be his final 18 months at the club.

Mick Brown told Football Insider that Guardiola is facing questions over Cherki’s treatment, and in many fans’ opinion, rightly so, as he continues to struggle to nail down a starting spot in the team.

It should just be a matter of the player adapting to the league, which he has done brilliantly so far this season, with much more game time to come during the 2026-27 campaign.

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