Five Things We Learnt From Man City v Burnley

Riyad Mahrez Cheap at Twice the Price?

Riyad Mahrez is looking like a £60 million player. There is something about the demanding roles drilled by Guardiola that can require any player to have to struggle to adapt. When players come from sides which are less intense than Manchester City then the transition made by the player is greater and therefore takes more time. We would all acknowledge Sane made a slow start to his Manchester City career, as did Bernardo – both of whom are now integral to how we play. Mahrez in this regard is no different. The leap from Leicester to Manchester City is immense not just in terms of the demands placed upon the players but also upon the expectation and quality of the players alongside.

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At times in his City career Mahrez has looked off the pace, one step behind in terms of thought and execution, and as a consequence he has missed the movement of those around him and with it the opportunity for the killer pass. Some of that still occurred yesterday but Mahrez is settling and consequently his contributions during games are getting bigger.

Two or three times he played long passes which for the skill of Joe Hart would have resulted in goals. The contribution of Mahrez is being relished by those around him too. He is receiving the ball from the team and they are expecting him to be making match winning passes. It is almost as though he is gaining confidence and the belief that he deserves to be at Manchester City.