Ayyoub Bouaddi made his first start for Manchester City last night in their 2-0 win over FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão last night. Before last night’s match, Bouaddi had made two appearances off the bench in City’s wins over Crystal Palace and Coventry City before last night. Bouaddi showed more than enough in those two brief spells on the pitch to demonstrate his quality. Bouaddi arrived at Manchester City from Lille as arguably the highest-rated 18-year-old player in world football. His pedigree and talent has always been clear to see. Last night, in his first start for Manchester City, Bouaddi showed that he will be a vital player for City this season as he put in an assured display in the heart of Manchester City’s midfield.
Ayyoub Bouaddi looked right at home in the Manchester City midfield.
Last night’s match against FC Porto appeared to be the ideal setting for Ayyoub Bouaddi to make his first start for Manchester City. The Moroccan international has experience playing in Europe with Lille, and that is exactly what transpired.
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Right from kickoff, Ayyoub Bouaddi looked right at home in the heart of the Manchester City midfield. This was impossible to ignore. His teammates had no qualms about involving the young midfielder in City’s possession play. Often, Bouaddi received the ball in dangerous areas in midfield and his ability on the ball with an elegant first touch or a quick pass allowed him to get out of trouble.
Bouaddi’s passing stats from last night’s match illustrate how poised and composed he was in possession. As per SofaScore, he completed 54/55 passes on the night, including 39/39 in the first half. However, Bouaddi’s work in possession only tells part of what was so impressive about his performance last night.
Out of possession, Ayyoub Bouaddi was excellent. His ability to read the game in exceptional for a player so young. He gets himself in the right positions to break up play and win back possession for his team. The young midfielder did this throughout the first half of last night’s match. His influence waned in the second half as FC Porto pushed for an equalizer. However, by the time Bouaddi came off in the 75th minute he had shown exactly why Manchester City were so eager to sign him.
Enzo Maresca was thrilled with Ayyoub Bouaddi’s performance last night and Erling Haaland believes that City have signed a gem.
Speaking after his team began their UEFA Champions League campaign with an impressive win, Enzo Maresca praised Ayyoub Bouaddi, especially his sense of calm after making a mistake. Maresca explained that this an elite trait for a player so young to possess. He explained: “He’s very good. Against Coventry he lost two balls and after he lost them, he was in our box, calm.“
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“Any player would panic but this shows how good he is. He’s just 18. You expect Erling, Ruben, Mateo that they can manage these games, but he was top.You never expect that. Congratulations to Ayyoub and this is the reason he’s here with us.“
“The players are happy when a big player arrives, they can see how good he is.“
Erling Haaland also praised Bouaddi and he believes that Manchester City have signed a gem in the Moroccan international. However, Haaland was annoyed that Bouaddi didn’t play him through when the opportunity arose. But this is part of the learning curve that Bouaddi is on. Haaland said after City’s win: “I think he [Bouaddi] did a really good game. In training, he’s been amazing. I just told the chairman, he’s been amazing.“
“I think we’ve got a gem there to be honest. I think he should have played me through in the second half, I was all alone, so I was a bit angry so I’ll tell him now! He played a good game, except that pass!“
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Final thoughts.
Ayyoub Bouaddi was extremely impressive in his first start for Manchester City last night against FC Porto. There was little doubt that Bouaddi was ready for the step up he was required to make to be a City player. Last night he showed plenty and the more he plays, the better he will become. That is a tantalizing prospect to consider with Ayyoub Bouaddi. He is only scratching the surface of what he will become as a player and as he displayed last night, he is already a quality midfielder.
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