Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Saturday, December 27, 2025, 9:38 p.m. / Updated Saturday, December 27, 2025, 9:39 p.m.
Rayan Cherki was the star of Manchester City's 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day and earned plenty of praise from Pep Guardiola.
The French international was involved in both goals scored by the “citizens”, providing a decisive pass to Tijjani Reijnders and scoring the winning goal.
Pep Guardiola, delighted with Cherki's progress: “Sometimes I yell at him, sometimes I want to hug him”
Asked after the match about Cherki's immediate impact, Guardiola did not hide his satisfaction.
“When we transfer a player, we always expect the best. He provided a fantastic assist and scored the winning goal,” stressed the Spanish coach, while admitting that the relationship with Cherki is full of strong emotions and some unpredictability.
“I've felt this with Rayan since day one: sometimes I yell at him, sometimes I want to hug him. There is always this ambivalent feeling“, he confessed, also emphasizing the freedom he gives the Frenchman: “I have to allow him to express his incredible talent.”
This freedom was, moreover, assumed by Cherki himself, explaining the phase that led to the first goal of the “citizens”. “I didn't listen to the coach's instructions. He wanted me to stay more on the side, but I felt I had to go into the center. It was the right moment and I managed to give a good pass to Tijjani, who scored a superb goal,” revealed the forward.
Signed in the summer, Cherki made 19 appearances for City, scoring five goals and providing eight assists.
Victory at the 'City Ground' saw Manchester City briefly top of the Premier League until Arsenal equalized at home to Brighton. The Gunners are two points ahead of the Citizens and 3 points ahead of Aston Villa, who won away to Chelsea 2-1.
Premier League standings
