Rayan Cherki - the perfect poster boy for football's post-Pep Guardiola maverick movement

After a frustrating first half for City, Cherki stepped up to make Selhurst Park his own personal playground. The 23-year-old eventually left the pitch eight minutes from time having recorded three shots on target, three key passes, three successful dribbles, and 29 ball carries overall, covering 2.2 kilometres in total.

Palace had no answer to his brilliance, particularly in the build-up to his first goal. Cherki latched onto a Phil Foden pass at the edge of the box and proceeded to jink his way past three players, the ball seemingly glued to his feet, before catching Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson off guard with a delightful poked finish just as it looked like he was losing his balance.

There was a slice of luck involved in Cherki's second as his 20-yard strike took a big deflection off Chris Richards on its way into the net, but he again manufactured the room himself and had the courage to go for goal instead of playing it safe. In the space of just five minutes, Cherki ended the game as a contest.

Former Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp was stunned by Cherki's performance, and felt compelled to compare the Frenchman to two Premier League icons.

"Rayan Cherki painted a masterpiece," Redknapp told Sky Sports. "It was an incredible goal [his first]. He felt like the difference because the goals came at such an important time. He had such an amazing effect on the game. He is a genius the things that he can do with a football are just incredible. There are not many Premier League players who can do this. I think Eden Hazard, possibly, could have done that. He was that type of player, the low centre of gravity and then to somehow smuggle the ball away into the corner.

"[Georgi] Kinkladze, Manchester City fans of another generation will remember him. He could get past people in a telephone box and this is very similar. But Cherki is a beautiful player. We have been talking about where he fits in because Enzo Maresca does like structure. But with someone like Cherki you have to accept his freedom, you have to let him do his thing."

There's that word again: 'freedom'. Like Guardiola, Maresca wants City to dominate possession, but he favours a more expansive style with proper width. The Italian is not going to moan at Cherki for embarking on a mazy run or trying a risky pass, like Guardiola famously did when he pulled out a 'rabona' cross to assist a goal for Foden against Sunderland last season.

With freedom, Cherki is an unstoppable match-winner. Of course, it doesn't come off every time, but City need him to open games up, especially against the teams who are content to sit back in a low block and absorb pressure.

Cherki enjoyed a superb debut campaign at City, but there was an overarching feeling that he could have contributed even more. Guardiola held him back, handing the Lyon academy graduate only 19 Premier League starts, and just four in the Champions League.

It was incredible that Cherki managed to deliver a combined total of 25 goals and assists despite the constant rotation and having to adhere to Guardiola's strict positional demands. Cherki was forced to stay wide or wait in a specific zone; if he inverted too soon or ran into trouble, it would ruin Guardiola's pre-planned passing operation.

"I like the simplicity because I learned from Lionel Messi that I never make a mistake with the simple things," Guardiola said when scolding Cherki after the Sunderland game. With that mindset, Cherki was never going to be City's chief architect.

In stark contrast, Maresca's first order of business was moving Cherki centrally behind Haaland. The new City boss encourages him to weave his magic in tight areas and be the team's creative engine, whereas Guardiola wanted to limit his touches to keep a rigid shape.

Cherki is still expected to work tirelessly out of possession - and he did a fine job marking Adam Wharton in the Palace win - but Maresca rewards him by offering more trust in the final third. As much as Guardiola elevated the game with his perfectionism and eccentric personality, it's a great thing that playmakers like Cherki are blossoming again in his absence, with Maresca following the blueprint of a few other top European managers.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Michael Olise and Lamine Yamal all benefit from similar arrangements at their respective clubs. Luis Enrique's fluid tactical set-up at Paris Saint-Germain is designed to get Kvaratskhelia into one-vs-one situations so he can wreak havoc, and he gives the Georgian license to roam in central areas when left-back Nuno Mendes bombs forward.

Vincent Kompany takes a similar approach with Olise at Bayern Munich, while Hansi Flick allows Yamal to interpret space organically in his highly vertical Barcelona system. Along with Cherki, these players are showing how individuality is on its way back into fashion, after being emboldened by their managers.

Guardiola wants control at all times, and obviously his philosophy was extremely effective at Barca, Bayern and City. The problem is, it led to copycat attempts across the continent, and in turn, wiped out the free spirits who can bring so much joy.

Hopefully, we see more of them return to the fore now. Cherki's electrifying form hammers home the fact that football is best when presented as an art form, rather than a mechanical process. Despite what Guardiola may believe, it's still possible to be a showman and a team player.

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