Rayan Cherki, the last of a dying breed- An analysis.
INTRODUCTION
Regarded as one of the most promising prospects in world football, Cherki was born on 17 August 2003 in Lyon. He hails from parents of Algerian descent and began his professional football career at the tender age of 16. Since then, he has managed to etch his name in history as the youngest player ever to score a goal for Lyon, impressing everyone with his remarkable skills in navigating through formidable defenses.
Although he encountered setbacks due to injuries and stories surrounding attitude issues, Cherki has made a remarkable comeback and reclaimed his position in the Lyon starting lineup, proving his significant impact on the team.
It’s quite easy to overlook the fact that he is still 19 years old.
PROFILE/ROLE
Having been deployed as a winger on either flank in previous seasons, 22/23 saw Cherki being given the freedom as a floating 10- operating behind the strikers, Cherki was allowed to drift to either side and create overloads or start attacks.
Some general observations:
- Loves the freedom he’s given. Typically starts in the right half-space, then proceeds to float in between the lines.
- Moves to whichever side needs an overload. Likes to spread play.
- Maverick-type player. Reminiscent of the Messis, Hazards, Ronaldinhos.
- Loves receiving the ball in deeper zones, advanced zones.
- Comfortable with both feet, no passing bias.
Ball-carrying and dribbling
Standing at 5’9, Cherki’s height enables him to have close control of the ball. This gives him the ability to glide through defences. He’s got quick feet and a fair amount of agility to evade pressure, draw fouls and break opposition lines. He’s excellent at being able to control his strides, meaning he can retain the ball whilst carrying the ball through traffic.
However, Cherki isn’t exactly blessed with a compact frame, so he’s not the most explosive on the ball. This, paired with his less-athletic physique (which I’ll touch upon later), means that Cherki’s ball-carrying isn’t his best trait. He has shown glimpses of it, but his lack of running power and physicality hold him back from genuinely unlocking the best of his ball-carrying.
Cherki’s dribbling is excellent though. As mentioned, he’s got brilliant close control which means the ball is almost a part of his body. His body balance is excellent, so he change directions with ease. Even if he isn’t the most flexible whilst shifting body weight, he possesses good agility to produce feints and shoulder drops to manipulate opponents in central areas. Whilst approaching a 1v1/fullback, his timing of steps is excellent. There’s a sense of control when he’s on the ball, akin to Jack Grealish.
Cherki’s love for the beautiful game is also evident here. He is an artist, an elegant dancer producing roulette, elasticos, and flicks to deceive opponents. All these tools, coupled with the qualities mentioned previously, make him an invaluable dribbler to break lines.
Cherki’s ability to create separation isn’t up there with the very best, but it’s clear to see that he’s good at doing so, and utilises his skills to their potential.
His body orientation when standing up to his man, is clever. Fixing himself at a near 45-degree angle, Cherki can create two options for himself- cut inside the pitch, or dribble on the outside. Earlier on, Cherki was an effective two-way dribbler, but post-injury there seems to be a noticeable decline in pace, meaning the ability isn’t the same. However, he’s a clever manipulator of the ball- close control, feints, rolls, and sole touches- this allows him to navigate his way through players in wide areas.
Ball manipulation, peel back, step count- all top here.
Being ambipedal in nature, Cherki also loves using his ‘weaker’ foot to create space for himself. A move that he loves using seems to be the ‘peel back’, where he takes a step back from his man and bursts in a direction opposite to the way he was facing (as noticed in the above clips). Deceitful and tactful.
Cherki’s ball reception is top too-
- Receives it on the front foot which allows him to execute passes quicker.
- Smooth on the half-turn, excellent turning radius. Opens up avenues of space for him to operate in.
- Comfortable taking it on his right foot or left foot. Incredible 360 game.
- He also has the lovely habit of letting the ball roll before re-orienting himself to carry it.
- Lovely use of the ‘Hazard Flick’, where he applies a deft touch to the ball whilst receiving it with back to goal.
Passing, creativity, and value in possession
There is variety in Cherki’s passing. His incisive through balls into the penalty box is a trademark. Using the area between his heel and toe, Cherki’s understanding of the weight of pass is excellent. He’s also got incredible spatial awareness to disguise his passes, an extra layer of threat.
Cherki’s two-footedness is best utilised here. As mentioned, he’s got no passing bias, meaning his 360 game is nearly complete. Left, right, diagonals- Cherki’s ability to cut a defence from any angle makes it unpredictable.
Cherki loves an outswinging cross in the half-space, but using his right-foot, I’ve seen him use a variety of passes, in-swingers from the right, cut-backs after bursting to the by-line, lofted passes over a defence, switches of play. He’s not just offering the final third threat, but also an option in the build-up.
Cherki is well adept at using his right foot.
Cherki’s one-touch passes are a highlight. While they don’t always come off, he’s got excellent awareness of where his teammates are. He doesn’t just use the simple instep of either foot, he’s a master of using the backheel flick.
While I like Cherki’s through passes, I find the long balls a bit underwhelming. He either overhits it, meaning the receiver might find himself having to lunge forward to progress play, or he doesn’t apply enough power to the pass, meaning there is more time for a defence to re-organise and intercept the ball before the receiver.
However, Cherki’s long balls when done right, have range and a sense of novelty to them- scooping the ball with a delicate touch of the area in front of the laces, switches, crosses. It is this innovation, that makes him a creative player.
Combine this with his genius associative play, and it’s easy to see why one can envision Cherki as a #10 with the play running through him.
Cherki’s mostly selfless in his play, preferring to search for an overlapping run at times, but an observation that may be seen as an issue is his attempts to always try and create the final pass- even in the most obscure situations. This, however, can be fine-tuned.
Ball-striking
Cherki possesses fine fundamentals when it comes to shooting the ball. When he’s near the post, he’s almost always using the lace part of his boot to strike the ball into the net. He’s especially good at this with his left foot.
Cherki’s long shots have been venomous, but I think he suffers from a similar problem- a lack of power. However, I like what I’ve seen him do with his left foot- lace part, other foot slight off ground to help make good contact. His right foot requires loads of improvement from long-range. Rarely does he make use of it, but I’ve noticed him favouring the instep part of his boot. This result in an accurate but less venomous shot. Improving step count and shot placement will help him massively.
However, there’s also a chance Cherki’s striking is just inconsistent.
An excellent strike with his weak foot, losing balance in the end.
Physicality concerns?
Cherki’s physique looks unimpressive at first glance. There’s a sense of complacency, almost, a feeling that he is not fit.
Cherki often struggles in duels. On the ground, it can be quite easy to dispossess him. his back to goal play, when having to rely on his physical abilities, is poor. He gets shoved off the ball quite easily unless he uses his technique. It is an area to improve upon.
In the air, there’s nothing to write home about his duel-ability. He is either no match for the taller players, or he simply does not try hard enough to win them.
The stats do not paint a good picture.
Off-ball work an issue?
Cherki is not an intense pressure, and does not show any willingness to track back in settled possession when the ball is in his own half. While there have been complaints of a lack of motivation and commitment, I think this might also be down to the fitness issues that have been heavily discussed before.
Cherki, in some situations, has put in the effort to defend out of possession. This occurs when:
- He loses the ball.
- The team is defending a transition. When Lyon lose possession in the opposition half, and there’s open space to defend, there have been instances where Cherki tries to track back and help his team out.
Is this a mere result of poor fitness?
The verdict
Rayan Cherki is a player you’d pay to watch- the ball manipulation, trickery of the highest order, elasticos, and deft touches are reminiscent of an era where #10s were largely dominant, running games and creating high-quality chances.
While Cherki is an excellent player in wide areas, his future lies in the #10 position. If he can work on the fitness and physique issues, there is potential to see him develop into an all-time player, gifted with sublime technique, decision-making and footballing intelligence.
