With five goals and 3 assists in his last five games, Riyad Mahrez has recently become the most in-form Manchester City player.
The Algerian forward has been one of the bright spots keeping the winning spark among his teammates at a point where the team seems to have lost their fitness. A season which started with a shine for Manchester City and saw them playing on an extraordinarily-high level, now see the same team having to face their drop in form struggles.
Mahrez has been a consistent high performer since joining City in 2018, but after a slow start to the Premier League season, he now appears to have taken his performances to the next level. The World Cup break was arguably exactly what Mahrez needed to focus on his own training and re-discover his form of play.
Mahrez is playing with a higher level of intensity, skill and dribbling ability amidst to all of City’s problems, which has allowed him to beat any defender and his form to become more noticeable. He has played more minutes since the Premier League resumed following the World Cup, playing three 90-minute matches, something he had only done once before the world cup in a 4-0 win against Bournemouth.
Soon after the World Cup, a few teammates were left off the team because they were on international duty with their respective nations, giving Mahrez the opportunity to reenter Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup. which led to him making a statement against Leeds United and ultimately keeping his place in the team for the following game against Everton.
Since the World Cup’s conclusion, he has unquestionably regained his prior form, scoring and providing assists in crucial games for City. It is of no doubt that City has not been playing at the caliber we have seen in recent seasons or even at the beginning of this one. However, the Algerian international has distinguished himself from the pack with his recent performances.
Despite losing players like Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus who left Manchester City for rival clubs in the summer, the team still has a wealth of talented wingers. Some of which include the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez, and Bernardo Silva. However, if Mahrez continues to put on strong performances, his manager might be forced to keep using him.
As they prepare for their weekend match against Wolves, the Algerian will be hoping to maintain his position in the lineup. In his current form, he will be confident that he can add to his goal total against a team that is just above the relegation zone, and Wolves may find it difficult to stop him defensively.
He will be optimistic about his chances of increasing both his playing time and playing confidence in the league games against Tottenham and Aston Villa that come after City’s match on Sunday against the Midlands team.