By Zach Lowy
Metropolis sit twenty second within the UEFA Champions League desk, one level exterior of the drop zone, and after 4 consecutive journeys to the continental elite’s remaining 4, they discover themselves in peril of lacking out on a spot within the Champions League knockout spherical for the primary time in 12 years.
Over the previous decade, it has usually been Metropolis who trip into the Manchester derby brimming with confidence, while Manchester United enter in determined want of a victory. This time, nevertheless, the circumstances couldn’t be extra completely different. Whereas Rúben Amorim is having fun with his honeymoon interval at Manchester United with three wins in his final 5, Pep Guardiola finds himself underneath essentially the most strain of his complete managerial profession. Metropolis sit fifth within the Premier League desk, one level under Nottingham Forest, and two factors above Aston Villa, and so they can unwell afford one other slip-up in Sunday’s crosstown derby on the Etihad. They want a shot within the arm, a participant who can provide their stagnant frontline an injection of unpredictability and dynamism…they want Jérémy Doku.
Born in Antwerp, Belgium to Ghanaian mother and father, Doku grew to become the second-youngest participant to debut for Anderlecht at 16 years, 5 months and 26 days on 25 November 2018. He spent the following two years working alongside former Manchester Metropolis and Belgium captain Vincent Kompany, who served as each his teammate and supervisor, scoring 6 targets and seven assists in 37 appearances earlier than leaving his boyhood membership in October 2020 and becoming a member of Rennes for a club-record €26 million.
“Doku at all times impressed me from a younger age as a result of he has some completely terrific abilities that you simply’re both born with or not,” mentioned Sacha Tavoleri, L’Èquipe’s Belgian soccer specialist. “When he was 16, he was already being considered as the very best participant that Anderlecht’s academy had produced since Romelu Lukaku. He’s so fast and explosive…he’s one of many uncommon gamers whose acceleration permits him to make a large distinction in such brief areas. Nevertheless, he wants to enhance his first contact and turning radius in an effort to benefit from his velocity.”
“Doku initially struggled at Rennes due to his entourage. They gave him an excessive amount of freedom: he would usually go away Rennes and return to Brussels throughout his break day, he didn’t deal with his well being throughout the offseason and would get injured in consequence. Nevertheless, as soon as he broke it off with them, he began performing and shortly grew to become focused by Guardiola himself.”
He didn’t precisely hit the bottom working in France with simply 4 targets and 6 assists in 55 appearances throughout his first two seasons, and he even discovered himself relegated to the bench throughout the first half of the 2022/23 marketing campaign. Nevertheless, after altering numbers and buying and selling the #11 for the #10 following Kamaldeen Sulemana’s departure in January 2023, Doku lastly managed to ship his greatest soccer in Brittany with 7 aim contributions in his final 8 matches of 2022/23.
It didn’t take lengthy earlier than the Metropolis snapped him up for £55 million, with Doku shortly adjusting to life in England. He registered 4.9 profitable dribbles per 90 – greater than every other participant within the division – and alongside Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho, he was one in all solely three U-21 gamers to register 11+ aim contributions. This season, Doku has essentially the most Premier League aim contributions (4) in Metropolis’s squad after Erling Haaland (14) and Bernardo Silva (5), he’s their third-highest-rated FotMob participant (7.42) after Haaland (7.62) and Mateo Kovačić (7.42), and he’s finishing 5.8 profitable dribbles per 90, almost double the quantity of Metropolis’s next-best dribbler – Sávinho (3.3). Regardless of this, Doku has struggled to cement a beginning spot in assault, with 5 of his 11 appearances coming from the bench. Somewhat than giving him a constant run within the workforce, Guardiola has usually most popular to convey him on towards drained legs.
Guardiola has achieved an unprecedented home dynasty in Manchester due to an unyielding dedication to managed, possession-heavy soccer, however in consequence, he’s shifted away from conventional wingers in favor of gamers who can retain possession and keep away from pricey giveaways. It’s loss of life by a thousand passes versus one mazy particular person dribble, and it’s why central midfielders like Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes have usually gotten the nod forward of Doku. Nonetheless, it’s all gone a bit stale over the previous two months. The wingers have lower an remoted determine and failed to supply a secondary goal-scoring outlet to alleviate the burden positioned on Haaland’s shoulders, and in consequence, opponents have been capable of foil Metropolis’s attacking gameplan and put them underneath extreme strain on the again. Nevertheless, having a standard winger like Doku within the workforce may assist rectify this.
At 22 years of age, Jérémy Doku remains to be an enigmatic character whose finish product can flatter to deceive and who provides away possession on a far-too-regular foundation, second solely to Sávinho and Kevin De Bruyne in Metropolis’s squad, however on his day, he can flip his fullback inside out together with his swift change of course and scintillating ball-carrying abilities and add some tempo and panache to his workforce’s attacking play. Doku has began simply one in all his final 4 out there Premier League matches for Metropolis, which noticed him rating a aim and help vs. Nottingham Forest: the opposite three noticed him come off the bench and witness one more stalemate or defeat.
The final time Metropolis performed United (excluding the preseason Group Defend), Doku got here on at halftime and managed to tug one again for Metropolis within the remaining minutes, nevertheless it was too little too late as United prevailed 2-1 within the FA Cup Last. Guardiola can’t afford to make the identical mistake twice: if Metropolis are to show round their wretched run of kind on Sunday, he has to unleash Doku from the shackles of super-sub standing and provides him an opportunity to influence the sport from the opening whistle.
(Cowl picture from IMAGO)
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