1 month ago
Pace, aggression and quicksilver trickery: Jérémy Doku is nan nightmare for guidance defences who breaks games unfastened for Manchester City. In Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final astatine Wembley, Southampton’s task will beryllium to effort to incorporate nan Belgium winger who has raised his crippled this season.
The Liverpool caput coach, Arne Slot, believes that Doku tin beryllium “unstoppable” and Arsenal’s Cristhian Mosquera discovered precisely this successful City’s seismic 2-1 triumph successful nan Premier League connected Sunday, nan right-back booked for persistently fouling him astatine nan Etihad Stadium. Yet nan 23-year-old is not content. The ambition is to adhd goals to nan sparkling accomplishment group he believes will elevate him supra Vinícius Júnior arsenic nan world’s champion wide forward.
Four strikes successful 40 City appearances this word is an under-par return for a footballer of his talent, pinch Vinícius’s count 18 successful 48 games for Real Madrid. Can he scope nan Brazilian’s level? “Of course,” Doku says. “I consciousness for illustration if I person goals we are talking astir a different conversation. Assists – I’m fine.
“I person to beryllium much successful nan areas wherever you tin people easy goals, tap-ins. When I look astatine my goals, moreover this season, each clip they are pinch dribbles. I want to people moreover 5 tap-ins a-season – that would make a large difference. A winger needs to score. If I person those goals past I judge that I tin get location to beryllium nan world’s champion winger, for sure, 100%.”
So acold Doku has 11 assists successful each competitions, compared to 9 successful each of his first 2 seasons astatine City, scoring six times successful his debut 2023-24 campaign, and 8 past season, including 2 astatine nan Club World Cup. He began arsenic a No 9.
“I was a striker erstwhile I was nine, 10 years old,” he says. “Then I became a winger from astir 12. I liked to watch Neymar, [Lionel] Messi, [Franck] Ribéry, [Eden]Hazard, [Arjen] Robben, Ronaldinho. Then I created my ain thing. I can’t do what they do and they don’t do what I do – I effort to do my ain point pinch what my qualities are.”
His desire to people much shows Doku’s clarity astir his game. Of his pace, he says: “I’ve ever been fast. My relative was fast, my dad, truthful it’s been successful nan family. I deliberation [Abdukodir] Khusanov and I are nan fastest successful nan squad. Over 15 metres, I backmost myself. But complete possibly 40, he will win.”
Slot’s verdict connected Doku came aft he tore Liverpool isolated successful City’s 4-0 FA Cup victory this month, his break down nan near instrumental successful Erling Haaland’s hat-trick extremity astatine nan Etihad.
Another compliment came erstwhile Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to mime Doku’s snake-hipped dribbling style arsenic Real Madrid knocked City retired of nan Champions League successful March. “I saw that video. It was a bully conflict against him,” he says.
“When I play now, astir of nan clip location are 2 defenders connected me, which is not a problem because that intends different subordinate is free. But I cognize 1 versus one, that’s my biggest quality.”
On Saturday he will dream to show that and propel City to a 4th consecutive FA Cup final. Should Pep Guardiola’s Premier League leaders sound retired nan Championship side, Doku wants a different result to nan defeats by Crystal Palace and Manchester United successful their past 2 finals.
“They enactment connected your mind, but I effort to not displacement my attraction to nan things I don’t have. I’m grateful for what I’ve won already. So being successful nan semi-final, I want to spell backmost to nan last and triumph that trophy. Because I won a Carabao Cup, I won nan Premier League, truthful I want to triumph nan FA Cup arsenic well.”
Does it make him much motivated to declare nan Cup? “A spot yes, no. Even if we won those finals, I would beryllium motivated. Like I’m motivated correct now to triumph nan Premier League. Although I already won a Prem, I’m still motivated because you ever want to win. It’s ne'er enough, I would say.”
The Carabao Cup triumph – the 2-0 conclusion of Arsenal – came successful March. On Wednesday, City ended nan Gunners’ 200 consecutive days arsenic nan Premier League leaders pinch a 1-0 triumph astatine Burnley.
“We’ve already won a trophy and there’s still 2 trophies wherever we person everything successful our hands. OK, we are retired of nan Champions League, but ideate we triumph those 2 trophies and person a home treble. So we’re happy. Nothing to kick about.”
