Manchester City showed in their 2-0 victory against Tottenham on Wednesday night that they have plenty of ability to get back to the top, with Jeremy Doku a standout talent in the side.
For the second game running, Doku was unplayable, keeping Pedro Porro on his heels and looking electric on a cold night in North London. Indeed, the Manchester City winger should have had three assists in the first half against Tottenham.
For someone so terribly fast, physically strong, and technically brilliant, there is no hiding from the fact that his time at City has been hit or miss. Injuries and drops in form have certainly not helped, but the biggest disappointment has been his decision-making.
Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku could prove key to club's return to success
Jeremy Doku has taken too long to decide what kind of player he wants to be. You don’t always have to score goals, but if you’re not scoring them, then you should be creating them.
It's no good just beating your man, you have to ensure there is an end product, and that’s where he has struggled since he arrived in Manchester - luckily there are signs now that he might have figured a way out.
In the last two games, Doku has played with purpose. He gave Trent Alexander-Arnold sleepless nights following their encounter last weekend, and repeated the trick against Porro on Wednesday night. But it's not just about beating his man, it's the confidence with which he’s playing now.
In North London, he was constantly asking his teammates to trust him and give him the ball. In the past, he didn’t care, but now he’s demanding it; that kind of mindset is what makes top athletes. The Kevin De Bruyne generation is drifting away, so Manchester City need their young players to step up, and he’s the one leading.
They say pressure makes diamonds, and the months of frustration and disappointment could be what he needed to get his Manchester City career back on track. Against Tottenham, the pressure valves opened. When City needed an avenue of attack, the clear instruction was to get the ball to Doku to try and work his magic. The Belgian looked dangerous, direct and purposeful every time he had the ball.
When Doku was coming up at Anderlecht, former Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri, who played with him briefly, described him as "an explosive dribbler" possessing "crazy quality" in one-on-one situations, predicting that Doku would become one of the 20 best players in the world in the future.
It’s taken him a while, but all those descriptions are beginning to come true. There was never a doubt of his quality, but what most fans wanted to see was the consistency and application. When you come into a team like City, full of established internationals who can win a game on their own, you can’t just be another winger - you need to create a personality.
Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Ederson, all very quiet personalities, have found their voice, and along with their integral place in the team, too. There are signs that in the remaining 10 league games and the FA Cup, Doku could really be the game-changer.
All he has to do now is that he needs to realise that not every situation requires him to beat his man. It’s already clear that he has the ability to go past any defender. What is left now is for him to understand that sometimes the best way to do it is to simply pick the pass, pick your moments and reserve your energy for when you need it the most.
The end product is what makes good players great. Five assists in 17 Premier League appearances is just not good enough for a player of his quality. In the past, City had the likes of Sterling and Mahrez, who provided around 30 goals in a campaign. Now, it’s time for Doku to build on what has undoubtedly been a sweet spot in his City career and cement his position in the team while taking City back to where they belong.
