For the first time since his arrival in 2016, Pep Guardiola is going through a big zone of turbulence on the Manchester City side since his team is stuck in a very negative spiral, as evidenced by its latest defeat in the derby against United on Sunday afternoon ( 1-2). For Thierry Henry, this can be explained by the departure of certain players who have not been replaced, like Riyad Mahrez. Having left in the summer of 2023 to join Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the Algerian international is greatly missed by the Citizens according to the 1998 world champion.
For Henry, not having replaced Mahrez is “incomprehensible”!
For Sky Sports, the top scorer in Arsenal’s history was cash on the departure of the native of Sarcelles: “This is the first time that we can really question Pep’s (Guardiola) choices. Letting a player like Mahrez leave without adequately replacing him is incomprehensible. He brought unique creativity, an ability to unlock situations in big matches. Haaland scores, but he also misses chances. And today, there are no longer players like Mahrez to offer this alternative” he said.
Last year, at the time of the Club World Cup, the Spaniard commented, not without regret, on the departure of the Algerian: “It’s really wonderful to meet Mahrez here in Jeddah. We took the opportunity to have dinner together. To tell you, we still miss Riyad in the locker room as well as on the pitch, he who was always a remarkable player. I enjoyed being with him as a manager. I had a special relationship with him. Our relationship was one of incredible respect. He’s one of the guys I’ve appreciated the most in my career. Incredible qualities and technical capacity! It’s not easy to replace these kinds of players. He doesn’t feel the pressure. He’s a guy who has to play every day to be happy. I know how difficult it was not to play in the FA Cup final and the Champions League final. It was really a pleasure to work with him, I learned a lot” he confided in December 2023. Obviously, Guardiola and Henry share the same opinion.
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To summarize
Thierry Henry had a big outing following the departure of Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City. For the first time since his arrival in 2016, Pep Guardiola is going through a big zone of turbulence on the Manchester City side since his team is stuck in a very negative spiral, as evidenced by its latest defeat in the derby against United on Sunday afternoon ( 1-2).
