De Bruyne lashed out at Mahrez for 'not passing enough', Man City stars unhappy with him?

Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Matchday 7 with Pep Guardiola’s men beating Sheffield United 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The win meant that Man City have now won the last two games on the trot after it beat Marseille 3-0 in the Champions League earlier. While the Man City players have been credited for performing up to expectations in recent games, media reports hint that many players may not be happy with Riyad Mahrez’s playing style at the club.

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Are Man City players unhappy with Riyad Mahrez?

In a report for The Athletic, Sam Lee revealed that Kevin De Bruyne pulled up Riyad Mahrez for not passing enough during last week’s disappointing away draw at West Ham. The journalist also wrote that Kevin De Bruyne is not the first Man City player to do so, with senior players like Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero also claiming that Riyad Mahrez doesn’t pass enough and dribbles too much. However, as the writer revealed, the interventions haven’t led to Riyad Mahrez changing his playing style.

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De Bruyne Mahrez incident revealed

While Lee made the point that Riyad Mahrez is on good terms with his Man City teammates, he also stressed upon the instances which were pointed out by Kevin De Bruyne to the winger. One such moment occurred during the 88th minute of last weekend’s draw against West Ham, when instead of playing a pass back to his teammates from the byline, the Algerian tried to dribble his way past the defender. Mahrez's actions eventually led to the ball running out of play, at a time when Man City were looking for a winner in the game.

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Another instance discussed by Kevin De Bruyne referenced to the time when Riyad Mahrez chose to take a shot in injury time when he was surrounded by players. The shot ultimately hit the post, with many in the dressing feeling after the game that a cut-back was the better option instead. While The Athletic’s report reiterated that there is no problem between the players, it also referred to a couple of instances during the side’s last game against Sheffield United.

Lee wrote that Kevin De Bruyne was seen with his arms up in the air when Riyad Mahrez blasted a shot over the bar in the first half. The Belgian, who is regarded as one of Man City's most vocal leaders on the pitch, looked disappointed with his teammate once again when Mahrez ran the ball out of play instead of picking up a pass in the second half. The report concluded by suggesting that while Pep Guardiola doesn’t have any major problems with Riyad Mahrez’s playing style, the problem could snowball into something more serious if the winger continues to frustrate his Man City teammates.

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Riyad Mahrez responds to ‘selfish’ allegations

Ever since arriving from Leicester City in 2018, the 29-year-old has been one of Man City’s standout performers. The tricky winger has notched up 26 goals and registered 29 assists for the Cityzens in 103 appearances. Notably, only Kevin De Bruyne has created more chances from open play and provide more assists for Man City than Riyad Mahrez since the start of last season.

Addressing The Athletic’s claims that he is considered to be selfish by Man City players, Riyad Mahrez took to Twitter to refute the suggestions. The Man City winger responded to Sam Lee saying that while he doesn’t know who the journalist’s sources are, he shouldn’t be trusting them at all.

Image Credits: Manchester City Instagram