Maresca defends Bouaddi omission as Manchester City winger waits for chance

Ayyoub Bouaddi was left on the bench against Aston Villa as the 19-year-old Morocco international continues to wait for a regular role at Manchester City.

Manager Enzo Maresca said his side had chosen more technically creative midfielders for the match, naming Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden as the players selected ahead of Bouaddi.

“I think against PSG it was a little different. Today, we needed technical midfielders, which is why Cherki and Foden played,” Maresca said after the game.

The Italian then insisted Bouaddi remained part of his plans.

“But there is no doubt that Bouaddi is going to help us. Enzo and Elliot both played a very good game. We have a lot of matches to play and, of course, Bouaddi will have playing time.”

The explanation has raised questions over whether Maresca considers Bouaddi less technically gifted than Cherki and Foden. Much depends on what the manager means by “technical”.

Cherki and Foden clearly offer greater creativity and a stronger ability to unsettle opponents in the final third, but Bouaddi also has impressive technical figures.

According to Premier League 2026-2027 statistics, Bouaddi has completed 92.37% of his passes. That is better than Cherki’s 90.91% and Foden’s 88.5%.

Bouaddi has also completed 1.48 dribbles per 90 minutes, compared with 0.79 for Foden. Cherki remains ahead on 1.63.

His figures for losing possession are also favourable when compared with Foden. Bouaddi averages 1.48 lost balls per 90 minutes, against 2.11 for Foden, although Cherki is marginally better on 1.43.

Those numbers suggest Maresca’s comment needs to be viewed in context rather than as a straightforward assessment of Bouaddi’s ability with the ball.

There are important differences in the sample sizes and the players’ positions. Bouaddi has played only 122 minutes in the league, while Cherki has featured for 441 minutes and Foden for 341. Cherki and Foden also generally operate closer to the opposition goal, where they are asked to create chances and disrupt defensive structures.

Maresca may therefore have been referring to that particular form of creativity and attacking influence rather than technical quality in its broadest sense.

Even so, the wording appears awkward in relation to a player whose technique is regarded as one of his main strengths. Bouaddi will now have to make the most of the opportunities Maresca has promised in order to challenge the current pecking order at Manchester City.