While Arsenal look like a team shackled by the weight of the world on their shoulders, Manchester City are leaning into the pressure of the title race.
Not only are Pep Guardiola’s side playing a confident, expressive brand of bold, free-flowing football, they are doing so with a growing sense of swagger and mischief.
Nobody reflects that more clearly than City’s £31million summer signing Rayan Cherki, who has shown in recent weeks that he is as willing to provoke as he is to produce.
During City’s triumphant Carabao Cup Final victory over Arsenal last month, Cherki cheekily goaded Ben White with a string of keepy-ups on the touchline, infuriating Gunners fans and even prompting a flicker of disapproval from his own manager.
And on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, with City purring after Arsenal’s disastrous 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth the day before, Cherki showcased more of his wind-up antics as he played a key role in his side’s 3-0 dismantling of Chelsea.
From playfully provoking Chelsea supporters to casually practising his bottle-flipping skills mid-game, the Frenchman has looked the very opposite of a player burdened by the pressure of a title race and, in many ways, the antithesis of what Arsenal’s stars have shown in recent weeks.
Man City star Rayan Cherki has fast become the Premier League’s biggest wind-up merchant
From crotch-grabbing to keepy-ups, Cherki doesn’t shy away from controversy on the pitch
Cherki was described by Gary Neville as a both ‘really important character’ and ‘pantomime villain’ for precisely this reason on Sunday.
‘I think Cherki’s become a little bit of a, what’s the word, maybe pantomime villain. (He’s been) a character in the last few weeks. I’m absolutely convinced over on that far side, the cameras didn’t pick it up, he was taking the p***,’ Neville said during his Sunday podcast on Sky Sports.
‘He flipped (the ball) up, followed it over the top of (Marc) Cucurella’s head and then he jogs forward and turns towards the Chelsea fans and does that (performs a goading gesture) to them.
‘I think he’s become a really important character for them. Some people won’t like it but there’s something I quite like about the idea of him rolling his foot on the ball and keeping it up.
‘We talk a lot about Arsenal’s nervousness and anxiety, but when you see a person who is the opposite of this and thriving in it, we shouldn’t knock it. He’s not feeling the pressure of a title race.’
Cherki’s roguish swagger is nothing new. It hasn’t suddenly emerged during his debut season at the Etihad and has instead been a constant thread throughout his career.
In fact, prior to leaving French club Lyon last summer, teams were warned of his ‘massive attitude problems’ by French football expert Jonathan Johnson.
Back in November 2023, when Chelsea and Newcastle were among those interested in the midfielder, Johnson said: ‘Rayan Cherki is one name whose future could be in doubt, and there’ll be plenty of European clubs monitoring him.
‘A lot of players already wanted to jump ship before the start of the season, and they still could.
While title rivals Arsenal look shackled by pressure, Cherki and City are purring with swagger
Gary Neville called Cherki a ‘very important player’ for Man City after their 3-0 win at Chelsea
‘Cherki will certainly be one to keep an eye on, though I don’t know for sure if Chelsea plan to come back in for him. The Blues had an interest in him in the past, but one problem is that clubs are becoming increasingly aware that he has massive attitude problems.’
‘He doesn’t always conduct himself like he should on the pitch or in training, and there is quite a problematic relationship between the player’s entourage and the club, so that could get in the way of his development.’
During his time as Lyon president, John Textor also described Cherki as a ‘little a**hole’ while it appeared the Frenchman was on his way to Ligue 1 giants PSG.
Opening up on his explosive relationship with Nasser Al-Khelaifi, whom he had branded a ‘bully’ in an expletive-laden tirade to Foot Mercato, John Textor even shared text messages he had sent the Paris Saint-Germain chief which made pointed reference to Cherki.
‘It’s 4th July, and I am still listening to this little a**hole (Cherki) who you would like to sign. Are you still interested in signing? Dortmund has now spoken to us, for the first time, and I am happy to tell them to f*** off… I just need to know that you still want the player. Thx.’
A second text message read: ‘Terrific… I think the kid is a good kid. I think his team are total a**holes. I will send him the message tonight that Dortmund can f*** off. Thx!’
Despite appearing to get on the wrong side of a few in France, Cherki made a significant impression on Kylian Mbappe when he was a 16-year-old.
After impressing during a cameo appearance against the World Cup winner in 2020, Mbappe implored the French press not to ‘speak about his age’, recognising bags of talent in the then teenager.
As he matured in Lyon, Cherki did not shy away from controversy and was not afraid of causing a stir both on and off the football pitch.
The Lyon academy graduate previously asked to be sent back to the youth team in a furious protest after being benched for one first team fixture.
His former manager Rudi Garcia even admitted that he and the club actively tried to temper his ego during his time at the French club.
‘We all tell him that he’ll have the career he deserves, provided that he keeps working,’ he said. ‘The danger is making him believe he is already one of the world’s best players.’
Cherki has enjoyed a superb start to his career at Man City after last summer’s £31m move
Meanwhile, Fabio Grosso, who was Lyon manager in 2023, gave a damning assessment of the midfielder: ‘He’s not an exceptional player. He has enormous technical talent but needs to work on the rest.’
English fans were given a glimpse of his wind-up antics after he scored an extra-time goal for Lyon against Manchester United last April, provoking supporters by shaking his fist and grabbing his crotch.
Despite questions over his attitude, Cherki has enjoyed a superb start to his career at Manchester City and has appeared to establish himself as Guardiola’s first-choice No 10 behind Erling Haaland for the title run-in.
With two assists during his 76-minute appearance against Chelsea, Cherki chalked up his tenth of the season, becoming the first player to register double-digit assists during their first Premier League campaign since Dimitri Payet in 2015-16.
Should Arsenal crumble and City prevail in the title race come the end of the season, expect cheeky Cherki to have played a major role.
