Cherki’s Selhurst Masterclass Shows Man City Won’t Miss Guardiola As Much As You Think

Man City looked very much like Man City on Saturday, and that should worry every other club in the Premier League.

A 4-1 win at Crystal Palace is the kind of result that raises eyebrows mid-season, let alone in August. But what made it more striking was not just the scoreline. It was who delivered it and what it means for where this squad is heading.

The Maverick Who Proved Everyone Wrong

Rayan Cherki came off the bench to assist two late goals against Bournemouth on the opening weekend. That was enough to earn him a start at Selhurst Park, and he repaid that trust in the most emphatic way possible.

Two goals. Both brilliant. One a slalom through four defenders before poking home left-footed, the other a rising 20-yard strike with his right foot. The kind of performance that makes you sit up straight and reach for your phone to check his odds.

He had a World Cup to forget with France, reduced to a passenger role before being hooked at half-time with his side 4-0 down to England in the third-fourth place play-off. There were reports of tension with Didier Deschamps. He arrived at Man City last season under Guardiola for a bargain £30m from Lyon and made 33 league appearances, but 14 came from the bench.

This season already feels different for him. The conversation with Enzo Maresca after the Bournemouth win clearly sparked something, and when Cherki is ignited, he is a nightmare to deal with.

What This Means for Maresca's Man City

There has been genuine scepticism in football circles about whether Man City can maintain their standard now that Pep Guardiola has gone. That narrative looks shaky after just two games.

Maresca is demanding and detail-obsessed, and Cherki is unpredictable and emotional. On paper, that sounds like a recipe for friction. In practice, Maresca praised not just the two goals but Cherki's pressing, his positioning, and his control of Palace midfielder Adam Wharton throughout the match.

When a manager known for structure and discipline is singing the praises of a player with a reputation for doing things his own way, it tells you something significant is clicking. Maresca said it plainly: 'He's happy and I'm happy.' In football, that is worth a lot.

From a betting perspective, Man City already look like genuine title contenders at the very start of the season. We would not be fading them in any accumulator right now.

The Cherki Factor and the Transfer Angle

Cherki now looks like a key figure in Man City's system, not a squad player waiting for scraps. And with the transfer window still open, Man City are reportedly eyeing Adam Wharton, the same midfielder Cherki dominated for 90 minutes at Selhurst Park.

If they bring in more quality before the deadline, and add Wharton to a midfield that already controls games comfortably, the gap between Man City and the rest could start to widen quickly.

For anytime scorer markets, Cherki is one to watch every single week. He is not just chipping in with cameos. He is becoming a starter who scores at key moments. Both of his goals on Saturday came when the game was in the balance and Palace had genuine hope of getting back into it. That is the hallmark of a player with real mentality.

Our Read on Man City's Season

We think Man City are being slightly underestimated right now. The assumption that losing Guardiola equals a dip in performance is a logical one, but it ignores just how deep this squad is and how adaptable some of these players are proving to be.

Cherki alone gives them a dimension no other side in the league can match at the moment. He is unpredictable in the best possible way on the pitch, and if his relationship with Maresca continues on this trajectory, Man City could have a ready-made match-winner every week from a player who cost a fraction of what his talent is worth.

Two games in, one thing is already clear. Man City are very much still Man City.