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Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has split opinion since his move from AC Milan in the summer
"S1E1". When Tijjani Reijnders posted that caption to social media alongside an image of him celebrating an incredible Manchester City debut, he had Blues dreaming of a blockbuster signing. Three months on and nothing has come close to living up to the pilot.
Reijnders had an unbelievable start to life with Pep Guardiola's side, scoring an outstanding goal himself before setting up Erling Haaland for an even better one. The manager hinted afterwards about a team that would use counter-attacks more regularly this season, and the former AC Milan midfielder appeared to be a perfect addition for that.
Except it hasn't really worked out like that. Reijnders did very well at Arsenal in September to burst forward and tee up Haaland to score again and actually has more assists (five) than any other City player this season, but is yet to add another goal. The overall contributions haven't been enough for him to keep his place in the team and he offered little against Leverkusen to suggest that he should be brought back in.
There was a moment, however, with City trailing when space opened up for Reijnders and he lashed a shot towards goal only for Mark Flekken to continue his excellent night and beat the ball away. That, really, has been the story of his start at the Etihad more than the debut performance; against Monaco, Brentford, Everton and even Aston Villa he has gone close to scoring but hasn't quite been able to.
"It will come as long as I come in those positions. I’ve been a bit unlucky but I have trust that it will come," he said after the Villa game. The stats indicate that he has not scored the goals that he should have in either Premier League or Champions League, yet at the same time there is lots of promise - and it does feel like he would be being judged very differently if he had five goals so far - a reasonable expectation and one that nobody bar Haaland can match in all competitions - rather than just that one effort from the opening day.
It hasn't happened so the goalposts are marked the same, and it's worth considering that Reijnders could do better with his finishing. He worked hard to improve that aspect of his game at AC Milan and saw the rewards so there is no reason he should not be able to do it again.
There is also the inbuilt fear from City fans of trying to replace their ultimate midfield. Rodri proved impossible to have adequate cover for for too long, Ilkay Gundogan wasn't really replaced when he left for Barcelona after the Treble - Reijnders is a belated attempt at that - and the greatest of all playmakers Kevin De Bruyne also departed in the summer. Supporters are understandably anxious about whether the replacements will be up to the task because a number already have not.
At the same time, the Dutch international really isn't far from seeing the efforts that have gone in when he has played for his national team or for AC Milan hitting the back of the net for City. If he can start seeing those efforts go a foot to the side of where keepers are currently saving his shot, it will do a lot to change the narrative around him and buy that time for him to improve his overall game and integrate that into Guardiola's system.
Reijnders isn't going to be nominated for any awards for his start at City, but there are signs that his story is one that can grow on everyone.
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