Pep Guardiola has praised Manchester City player Riyad Mahrez for improving his form this season.
Mahrez was at his best as Manchester City defeated Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup, scoring a superb free-kick and converting a penalty.
It caps off a remarkable comeback for the Algerian, who was publicly chastised by Guardiola in October for his poor physical condition, but who appears to have moved on.
“He’s getting better step by step. “He’s not at his best right now, but he’s improving,” Guardiola added.
“Maybe Riyad had a problem coming back from the summer period, not the World Cup. Riyad’s quality is everything.
“He wants to play football, enabled us to play the game [today], and he played really nicely. He had a tremendous game as a wide receiver. He never let go of that [love]. He enjoys playing football.
“But if Riyad were sitting here I would tell to him, the way Riyad is training and playing is right now [far better]. Even when we trained for a few days in Abu Dhabi [during the World Cup], it wasn’t the same. I was completely impartial.
“Riyad is a fantastic player, I know how important he is. But I want Riyad, last game didn’t play from the beginning in Stamford Bridge and the impact he had [from the bench] is incredible. He is the same person who at Aston Villa, didn’t come on and we draw. So then it depends on them.
“When they play in this fashion and they complain, I may respond ‘yes, you are right, you deserve to play’. But he couldn’t play before because he wasn’t at the level he is now.
“Sometimes I had to let them see themselves in the mirror. There are many ups and downs throughout a lengthy career. It’s not only about talent; there’s more to football, and he’s been playing consistently since we returned from the World Cup.”
Man City will now meet Premier League leaders Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round provided the Gunners defeat Oxford first.
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