Manchester City has one title they have not won since they were taken over in 2008. They have won the English Premier League five times and they are in a good position to win it the sixth time. They also have three FA Cups, six EFL Cups, and three Community Shields. Yet, they have never won in Europe and that haunts the owners of this club. They have made the final of the tournament last year but lost in heartbreaking fashion to EPL rivals Chelsea. This season, they have another chance and they will need all of their best players to do it. Thus, here is Manchester City's X-factor in the Champions League round of 16, and it's not Kevin De Bruyne.
Manchester City X-factor – Riyad Mahrez
Now, their round of 16 matchup is already done, at least in terms of who is going through to the quarters. Manchester City went to Portugal to play Sporting Lisbon and did the job, winning 5-0 away from home. Still, these kinds of games, although meaningless in terms of results, can do a ton in terms of a team's confidence. The second leg of this match could be crucial for some parts of their squad and one player in particular needs to show up and show out – Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez is an excellent player, a veteran that came over to Manchester City in 2018 from Leicester United. He has been a stable member of the team, even through some early struggles. This season he has been sensational for the Citizens. Mahrez played 32 games in all competitions and scored 19 goals until now. He has six goals in the Champions League and has a chance to really prove his worth on the international stage. He opened the scoring against Sporting with a 7th-minute goal but did not do a ton since. However, going forward, the Algerian will need to continue this form and really make sure that his team is fighting with the best of what Europe has to offer.
One of the main issues of the Manchester City squad is a lack of a proven goalscorer. Now, that has not been too much of a problem this year, but as we enter the final stretch of domestic and intercontinental competitions, it could be a worry for coach Pep Guardiola, his staff, and the Manchester City fans. While other teams considered favorites like Liverpool, PSG, Bayern Munich, and others, have proven goalscoring threats like Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe, and Robert Lewandowski, City really does not. That is exactly where Mahrez really needs to step up.
The only real, true striker on this Manchester City team is Gabriel Jesus. Of course, they had Sergio Aguero last year, but he was often injured and, of course, left the team this season. Choosing to spend a £100 million on Jack Grealish meant that Guardiola was comfortable without a striker and, so far, the main reason why he was not wrong is Mahrez, with the aforementioned 19 goals. That is still less than the players mentioned above, but Mahrez was joined by Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden, all with 10 or more goals this year in all competitions. Manchester City went for a team effort and it has paid off, but one guy must stand out.
Riyad Mahrez was always a goalscorer, but it was somewhat undervalued at Leicester, as they had Jamie Vardy scoring whenever he pleased. At Manchester City, the Algerian has scored 35 league goals in 108 apps, which does not sound like much, but is a ton when we consider the fact that he is a winger. This is his most fruitful season up until now, as his most prolific campaign was the title-winning season for Leicester with 18 goals in 39 apps. Mahrez's importance in Manchester City is grand and if it was not for his goals, this season would be completely different for the Citizens.
As they look to win the Champions League for the first time in their history, Manchester City will come up against some monster teams. Sporting was a good draw, of course, but the quarterfinals will not have a lot of teams of that quality, without disrespect to Sporting. From the results of the first legs, we can somewhat say that Liverpool and Chelsea are already through, together with City of course. In all other bouts, whichever team comes through, it will not be easy for their opponents. Due to these games usually featuring little-to-none goals and tactical play, Manchester City will need that one player that can be given the ball and he can deliver, and that should be Mahrez.
Manchester City might be led by Kevin De Bruyne, but their X-factor for the rest of their Champions League campaign will be the Algerian winger, Riyad Mahrez.
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