Manchester City’s 3-2 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town brought a busy afternoon at the Etihad, with records tumbling and an 18-year-old midfielder beginning to look at home in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca’s start has become the strongest ever made by a newly appointed manager in Premier League history. Phil Foden ended a remarkable 307-day wait for a goal, while Erling Haaland reached 100 goals in English league football.
Yet Ayyoub Bouaddi, handed his first league start, was one of the more striking stories of the day. The Morocco No 6, born in Senlis in 2007, has been steadily forcing his way into Maresca’s plans after making a strong impression on bigger stages.
Bouaddi takes his chance
Bouaddi had already caught the eye in City’s 4-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Introduced at half-time with City 3-0 down, he helped shift the rhythm of the match and set up Haaland for the striker’s second goal.
That contribution earned him a place in the side against Ipswich, and he delivered the sort of all-action display which tends to please a manager as much as supporters.
He won more duels than any City player, coming out on top in eight of 14 contests, and made three clearances. Only one teammate recovered more balls than his four, while Bouaddi completed all three of his tackles.
On the ball, he completed 68 of 73 passes, the fourth-highest total in the City side, and found three of four attempted long passes.
The most memorable moment arrived deep into stoppage time, in the 102nd minute. Bouaddi received possession near his own corner flag and drove more than 50 metres upfield. He slipped between Chuba Akpom and Jack Clarke before Leif Davis brought him down in the Ipswich half, drawing a thunderous response from the Etihad crowd.
“Naturally, I’m very happy,” Bouaddi said. “I love football and I want to play every match, but I understand that it is a process.”
He added that City’s established players make the game easier for a young midfielder: “Even when you play a poor pass at times, they can put things right.”
Backing from Maresca and Romário
Maresca has been clear about the teenager’s influence on those around him. “He is a fantastic player,” the City manager said. “When he is on the pitch, the players around him improve. They become better players.”
Romário had also been taken by Bouaddi during the World Cup. The former Barcelona forward said the youngster had impressed him greatly, praising the 18-year-old’s ability to move across the pitch, create, disrupt opponents and contribute in every area. Romário believes Bouaddi can go a long way if he maintains that level.
City’s long pursuit
City’s sporting director Hugo Viana said the club had been convinced about Bouaddi well before his arrival in Manchester. City had tracked him for the previous year and spoke to Lille’s president before the World Cup.
“From the outset, we were obsessed with him,” Viana said. “We knew that if we signed a No 6, he had to be the one because of his composure and his quality in possession. He has enormous potential and can become a really important player.”
For now, Bouaddi has made only one league start. But after his work against Ipswich, the Premier League has had an early look at why City were so determined to bring him in.
