On the lawn of Pierre-Mauroy, Rayan Cherki was again disappointing. His match left something to be desired and OL were able to come back to score after their exit. Laurent Blanc was not worried about him but he still wanted to warn him.
The incredible outcome of the match and Lacazette’s double should not make OL forget that the trip to Lille almost turned into a fiasco. The Lyonnais suffered against the Lille collective and above all proved to be too little dangerous for a good hour. Some executives did not respond, such as Rayan Cherki. At fault on the first penalty of the Mastiffs, he especially fell back into his failings with the ball: too much technical waste, a game not simple and fast enough, Cherki lost too many balls.
Talent with mentality, Blanc still warns Cherki
But what may have annoyed the Lyon supporters was Cherki’s insufficient application in defensive tasks. The young talent from OL was in difficulty or even absent in this area of play. After the meeting, at the microphone of Prime Video, Laurent Blanc did not want to overwhelm Cherki at the defensive level. Nevertheless, the OL coach was keen to remind him of the rigor to be had for such a talented young player. One more outing to Cherki, though he seemed kinder in the speech than before.
🗣️ Laurent Blanc: “I hope Rayan Cherki will be a great midfielder.”
The coach of the@OL evokes the qualities and faults of its young players. #PrimeVideoLigue1 #LOSCOL pic.twitter.com/Vf4HwKmQJl
— Prime Video Sport France (@PVSportFR) March 10, 2023
“ There are very talented players, nature has been very generous with them in terms of qualities, but that is not enough. I just tell them. It is not for pleasure but it is above all for professionalism that we must tell them. Because they need to realize that more needs to be done to have a great career in football. And if they have that requirement, they will have a good career, he (Cherki) will have a good career. […] (on his defensive withdrawal) He will never be a great defender but I hope he will be a great midfielder, you also have to play with the qualities of each “, he said. Blanc knows better than anyone the importance of Cherki in the Lyon eleven. In addition to Lacazette, it is on the form and consistency of the young 19-year-old player that the end of the OL season depends.