STATIONED several yards from the corner of the penalty area Riyad Mahrez plucks a searching ball from the sky and kills it stone-dead, the Algerian’s touch and control typically immaculate, and in the heartbeat that it takes for this to happen a worried full-back sets himself. The defender knows he is isolated against a talent whose mosquito movement and bewitching trickery led to him becoming one of the most expensive signings in world football last summer. A PFA Player of the Year winner in 2016, no less. No wonder he’s worried.
If we freeze this passage of play at this juncture, what we see are two trademark Guardiola strategies revealing themselves simultaneously, because as Mahrez enacts a step-over to further throw his opponent off-guard, Kyle Walker is haring on an over-lap, his adventurous full-backing having created an overload. A couple more seconds and he will be level with his team-mate, the most opportune moment for Mahrez to simply knock the ball forward and free Walker with only the byline for company. There he will either cut the ball back – a favourite Guardiola play until everybody cottoned on to it – or drill it low and hard across goal. If feeling somewhat mischievous he may decide instead to stand it up at the far post.
On Mahrez’s inside, one of Manchester City’s magical Silvas has jinked into a modicum of space, making themselves available for a one-two, and here is Pep’s second modus operandi in attack that again is intended to create overloads. Swift rondo-perfected triangles out wide pull a defence from their bearings and the ball is eventually played across to Sterling or Sane or Jesus, who is standing before an empty net in acres of space. Where the hell did he pop up from? In truth, it was not the goal-scorer who moved but rather everybody else; drawn mesmerized to the speedy exchanges elsewhere. I have lost count of the number of goals scored in this fashion in recent seasons. Seriously, I have lost count.
Centrally meanwhile, a third and final option offers itself to Mahrez, this one not born from his coach’s genius but instead carved from the hills of time. Because when the ball is first flighted cross-field to the mercurial winger, Sergio Aguero’s eyes light up. Moments later the Argentine feints to go one way; an imperceptible movement to all but his centre-back who instinctively follows suit. In the instant it takes Mahrez to get the ball from out of his feet Aguero has darted across his opponent, marginally onside and anticipating in vain a quick delivery.
It should be stated that City very rarely do quick deliveries – hence the vain hope from their striker – but Aguero wouldn’t be doing his job correctly if he didn’t make the run regardless. More so, it cannot be underestimated how crucial such straightforward acts are in order to aid and abet the complicated.
These are the three choices available to Riyad Mahrez when the action is unfrozen and all have merit. Only he eschews each one, deciding instead to indulge in another step-over, then a third and an infuriatingly unnecessary fourth, all the while encroaching, head down into the area. The full-back is no longer worried. He is now jockeying, aware that support has arrived. Then Mahrez cuts inside onto his left foot and blasts the ball high and wide to the loud derision of the opposition fans.
If you are wondering when this anti-climactic vignette took place, the depressing answer is at least several times a game since August, though for accuracy it should be pointed out that sometimes the ball doesn’t sail high and wide: on occasion Mahrez mixes things up and goes low. There it inevitably gets lost amidst a forest of legs as players pile up en masse, a congestion directly caused by his selfish, greedy, counter-productive dalliance.
In light of Riyad Mahrez becoming a scapegoat among the City fan-base many Blues have recently sprung to his defence. He is trying too hard, they claim. He is struggling to adapt from being a big fish in a small East Midlands pond. He needs time to settle just like Sterling and Sane did. These are all valid points.
As too is their trumpeting of admittedly impressive stats, even if it could be argued that any one of Huddersfield’s front three would amass similar numbers if playing in this ridiculous team. This week Mahrez became only the fourth player in the Premier League this term to reach double figures for both goals scored and assists. A cap should be doffed for that of course.
Which is why I have personally moved on from his lackadaisical penalty at Anfield. It’s why I’m even prepared to shrug off the fact that I’ve seen him make precisely one half-hearted tackle throughout 1903 minutes in a City shirt.
That signature move of his though. That stupid, predictable, unredeemable move. That I cannot forgive.
If the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again but expect different results, then Riyad Mahrez should not be entrusted with proper cutlery. And the blunt truth is that Manchester City are a stronger, more cohesive force without him.
A £10 bet on Mahrez to score first vs Chelsea returns £85.00
