Laurent Blanc on Rayan Cherki: “Am I happy with his match? No.” | OneFootball

Following Lyon’s 2-1 victory over Toulouse on Friday evening, manager Laurent Blanc was asked about Rayan Cherki’s performance in particular. Despite the young French international stepping up his level of play in the second half,  coach Blanc expressed his dissatisfaction with the attacking midfielder’s performance, stating that “Rayan Cherki had a better second half than his first. Am I happy with his match? No, Even if he have a very good second half, with the qualities he has, he should not have periods like the first. He could have killed the game single-handedly.”

The OL coach has been tough on the starlet, but has given him praise and more importantly playing time of late. At only 19 years old Cherki has had ups and downs this season in terms of consistency. Against Toulouse, he failed to capitalise on opportunities in the first half and was unable to put the ball in dangerous positions. However, the coach remains optimistic about Cherki’s potential, ​​”He is still a young player, very talented. I think we are on the right path. We have come a long way. We always want more because he has exceptional qualities. We are very demanding with him, I was very demanding with him at half-time. He responded well, but I hope that next time he will be decisive as soon as he can. And if he can, from the first minute of the game, I hope he will be focused on doing that.”

Cherki’s ability to respond to his coach’s call to action has kept him on the field and renewed OL supporters’ hope in his future. With their win against Toulouse, OL are now within reach of qualifying for European football next year, an achievement that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. If Laurent Blanc can help Cherki reach his full potential, it would be a significant boost to OL’s chances of finishing in the top 5 spots on the table.

GFFN | Tony DesRois