Manchester City went in at halftime down 3-0 in their 4-2 defeat to PSG in their UEFA Champions League league phase fixture. Enzo Maresca’s side had been dominated by Luis Enrique’s side, as the level that City have to one day reach was on full display at the Etihad Stadium. At halftime, Enzo Maresca took off Ruben Dias, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku. They were replaced by Matheus Nunes, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye. Those substitutions had the desired effect as City dominated the second half and were unlucky to lose 4-2. The introduction of Ayyoub Bouaddi gave Manchester City more solidity in midfield. That tweak should be a move Maresca considers using from the start against quality opponents.
As soon as he came on, Ayyoub Bouaddi helped Manchester City gain control against PSG’s gold-plated midfield.
In the first half of last night’s match, PSG strode the middle of the pitch with ease. Manchester City either couldn’t get out, or if they were played through by Luis Enrique’s side, they had too much time and space to do as they pleased. The holes in City’s midfield were too big, and PSG’s quality was too much for Enzo Maresca’s side to cope with.
At halftime, with his team 3-0 down, Enzo Maresca changed the equation. The introduction of Bouaddi, Matheus Nunes and Iliman Ndiaye helped City get back into the game. As did the move of Abdukodir Khusanov to centre-back and pushing Enzo Fernandez into an advanced attacking role in midfield.
The presence of Ayyoub Bouaddi in midfield allowed Manchester City to take control of last night’s match. Partnering Bouaddi and Elliot Anderson gave City the midfield base they needed. Enzo Maresca’s side became harder to play through. Also, the pair of Bouaddi and Anderson broke up PSG’s play with their ability to read the game. Watching how the second half unfolded you could what midfield pairing will offer Manchester City more solidity in midfield when they face higher quality opponents.
In terms of Ayyoub Bouaddi’s individual display, he was superb and he offers exactly what City need at times.
As for his individual performance last night, Ayyoub Bouaddi was superb. Watching him play, you do forget that he is only 18 years of age. Especially when you consider the calibre of opponent that Bouaddi was up against last night.
The statistics tell the story of how well Ayyoub Bouaddi played last night. He had 47 touches and completed 37/40 passes. Bouaddi also completed 10 line-breaking passes as his ability to create openings for Manchester City shone through. Bouaddi was rewarded with an assist when he set up Erling Haaland’s second goal of the night with an intelligent pass from the right. Out of possession, Bouaddi gave the Manchester City midfield the bite that they needed. He won 100% of his ground duels and completed 8 recoveries. The Moroccan midfielder was brilliant in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch. He also proved, emphatically, that he can provide the security that the City midfield will need against high quality opponents.
Final thoughts.
Yes, Manchester City went down to a 4-2 defeat to PSG at the Etihad Stadium last night. At halftime, it did appear bleak for Enzo Maresca’s side. However, come the final whistle, there were plenty of positives to take from Manchester City’s performance. One of those was the performance of Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Moroccan international was brilliant after halftime.
Also, Bouaddi has shown that he is up for the big challenges that City will face throughout this season. In the process, he has offered Enzo Maresca a viable option to add solidity to City’s midfield. In big games, it now looks like Bouaddi may partner Elliot Anderson in midfield to give Manchester City the strengths they need in their engine room.