26 | Riyad Mahrez - 2021/22 Performances

[DMA's]

He changed the game when he came on. I don't know if it was just him or if there were other tactical reasons, but we were under pressure and then suddenly we were able to just pass the game out comfortably, even adding another goal.

His ball retention Is so important to us as a side defensively, no surprise to me that when mahrez came on we again controlled the game.

Still absolutely baffled as to why some don’t rate him, he has been easily one of our best players for more than 18 months now. just look at his stats to see how important he is to us

 

[Pete Campbell]

The fact he's our penalty taker now help pad his stats a little, but he's just a class act, just like most of our players. As others have said I think he's getting up to speed now and we might see the best of him in coming weeks.

True but also remember all the issues we had with penalties. Mahrez being a settled and pretty reliable taker is a huge boost to us.

 

[Kiss this guy]

Had me swooning like a high school girl with a crush that did.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Thoght Mahrez was a bit of a Billy BigBollocks when he signed and he obviously didnt like being rotated , but he has accepted he will not play every game and he always gives 100% either when starting or off the bench, in the big games he has to be first choice on the right , and i have never seen a player with a better first touch in 50 years of watching football , sublime footballer who has added a big dollop of workrate to his game.

 

[kun]

True but also remember all the issues we had with penalties. Mahrez being a settled and pretty reliable taker is a huge boost to us.

Fair point well made

 

[Shaffer92]

His ball retention Is so important to us as a side defensively, no surprise to me that when mahrez came on we again controlled the game.

Still absolutely baffled as to why some don’t rate him, he has been easily one of our best players for more than 18 months now. just look at his stats to see how important he is to us

Spot on. I swear people will also find the ONE passage of play he's but busting his tail to get back and help defensively and slam him for it. His work-rate is arguably one of his most improved aspects of his game since working under Pep imo..

 

[Isaac the Forgemaster]

His ball retention Is so important to us as a side defensively, no surprise to me that when mahrez came on we again controlled the game.

Still absolutely baffled as to why some don’t rate him, he has been easily one of our best players for more than 18 months now. just look at his stats to see how important he is to us

The truth is he'd been slamed even before arriving at City, and right after scoring three goals in the Champions League semi-finals last season, there were still some people here said Mahrez didn't score in important matches. And if you try to tell the truth, you will soon be called "Mahrez fanboy from Algeria".

They just don't like him, no matter what he does.

 

[freshie]

 

[Mr HJ]

Perhaps an issue for Mahrez is in the big picture he is not guaranteed in our strongest 11 - but who is? which is why he often is brought on once space opens up. He is perfect for that role. Class and a nightmare for a tiring team to defend. Yesterday was a perfect illustration of how this works. During the first half against a team that needed little encouragement to up their game, our play was unbelievable. We were so balanced and the work of the entire team was fluid and in unison - we literally stopped a good team from having a sniff. Obviously that also takes a bit out of our own intensity and by 60 mins we were flagging. Great move to bring on Mahrez who added a lot and helped by giving Brighton something else to worry about. Took his goal wonderfully too.

It may come to a head in the summer because for most teams in the world he would start every game - two reasons this is not happening this year 1. We are adapting to a slightly different style of playing with less emphasis on pure wingers - both Sterling and Mahrez are not a shoe in anymore. This is the wonderful thing about Pep - we played without a striker last year but he often used Jesus or a midfielder high up top. This year a subtle difference is we have several players moving in and out of the space up top. Less reliance on wide men perhaps. Jesus and Jack offer something different. And 2. We have players (Bernie, Rodri) that have upped their games so much that they fit better into our system. For example who would have thought Kev is not considered an automatic choice - although once he reaches 100% fitness he probably will be.

So it's a question of if Riyad is ok with this or if he'll want more given his age. He seems very happy at the moment which is great. I do wonder though if it maybe the time in the summer to sacrifice Sterling and Mahrez to raise funds to buy Haaland - if that happens I think it will give us a near perfect squad. We are so lucky to have these problems & in the meantime Mahrez will get plenty of opportunities this season to show off his undoubted quality.

 

[JoeD]

His control is best in side by a mile....which is some achievement! Should have been first on, his touch and slowing game down was what we needed.

In 30 years of watching football I've never seen a better first touch than his. That includes Bergkamp, Berbatov, Zidane, Riquelme, Ronaldinho, Baggio, Maradona, Messi. They are obviously much better footballers than him (not that he's bad, mind) but in that aspect he's honestly second to none. Magical.