Manchester City have won their last five Premier League matches, sit top on 18 points and have scored 16 league goals in six games. The common thread has been Enzo Maresca's use of the bench, with second-half changes repeatedly landing at the right moment.
At Liverpool, Jérémy Doku came on 10 minutes into the second half and, inside 12 minutes, won a second yellow card for Ryan Gravenberch, helped create Erling Haaland's opener and scored the second. On the opening day, City came from one down to beat Bournemouth 2-1 after Cherki produced a goal and an assist, with Maresca also replacing Rico Lewis with Matheus Nunes 12 minutes after the break.
Maresca's second-half changes
The pattern has been there in more than one match. Maresca made a half-time change in the Manchester derby last month, replacing Cherki with Iliman Ndiaye, and City went on to claim a 1-0 win while down to 10 men. On Sunday, he also replaced Nico O'Reilly while he was on a booking, and Josko Gvardiol later supplied a sublime assist for Cherki's third.
There has even been a similar call in Porto, when Gvardiol was on a yellow and close to being sent off, and Maresca removed him just minutes into the second half. That kind of timing is a real part of City's start, even if the longer season still has plenty of room to test it.
Doku's impact off the bench
Doku has been the clearest beneficiary. His 7.36 Premier League rating this season sits alongside one league goal from only two appearances, which is a tidy return for a player being used in short, targeted bursts rather than long runs.
City's start can still be questioned over a full season, because six league matches is not much to build a verdict on. But with 18 points from 18 and five straight league wins, the early evidence says Maresca has found a way to change games without waiting for them to change themselves.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
