Arriving this summer from Rennes, Jérémy Doku was expected for his first season with Manchester City. It must be said that the Belgian international had the difficult task of succeeding Riyad Mahrez in the profile of the dynamiting winger of defense. Because the Cityzens squad seemed clearly unbalanced at this level and the start of the season had shown the limits of only having profiles like Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish on the wings. In the difficulty, no player seemed capable of really igniting the match with a dribble or acceleration.
And the arrival of Jérémy Doku allowed Pep Guardiola to have a real solution on the right or left lane. The only question concerned the adaptation time of the former Rennais known for his irregularity. How was he going to imbibe the Guardiola software known for emphasizing discipline and control over madness? The first words seemed to give some indication as the 21-year-old striker quickly shone and exploded Premier League defenses. During his first 8 matches under his new colors, he scored 2 goals and delivered 5 assists and even won a starting place in an XXL squad, especially in the offensive sector.
A luxury replacement
But the start of Jérémy Doku’s young career proved that he still lacked a little consistency at the high level. After a muscle injury, he ended up disappearing little by little and clearly losing confidence. Substitute, his entries no longer really seemed to convince Pep Guardiola who therefore preferred Jack Grealish. But now, in recent weeks, Jérémy Doku has come back to make everyone agree. Against Real Madrid then against Chelsea, his entries gave Dani Carvajal and Malo Gusto a nightmare, while he found the net against Luton (first goal in the PL since November). A true will-o’-the-wisp, he did not hesitate to wear down the defenses, to strike and ended up proving decisive. What could shake up the hierarchy? This is a possibility as Pep Guardiola confided at a press conference. “We did it these last two games (editor’s note: bringing in Doku), but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen in the next games. It depends on how we wake up and my inspiration comes to my brain…”he said before continuing.
“The important thing is that when they played, they played really well. Jack Grealish played well in these last two games against Real Madrid and Chelsea, and the impact of Jeremy Doku, everyone saw it against Madrid and Chelsea, it was immediate…” This Thursday evening, Manchester City plays a decisive match in the title race against Brighton. Victory is mandatory to get back within a point of Arsenal who are currently two games ahead. And to dominate Roberto De Zerbi’s men, Pep Guardiola will have to count on a great Jérémy Doku who can, in the absence of Erling Haaland, become one of the Spanish coach’s offensive assets. It remains to be seen whether he will do so in the shoes of a starter or a luxury substitute as he has done in recent matches.
