SPORTS UPDATE
In Manchester City’s resounding 4-1 victory over Borussia DortmundErling Haaland may have stolen the show with City’s second goal in the 29th minute of play, but it was a good moment to get him the ball by Jermie Doku as well. The Belgian floated the ball into space, and it seemed like he had a telepathic connection to pick out Haaland’s run, but as he opened up to CBS Sports following the match, that wasn’t the case.
It’s a bit of why Haaland is great because Doku explained that he saw the space and trusted that someone would find their way into it.
“I saw the defenders going to the post, and I saw a gap, and I said, ‘Someone has to be there,'” Doku said on the UEFA Champions League post-match show. “I just play in the gap. I didn’t have the time to see Erling. I just saw the gap, and I played in the gap, and he was there.”
That level of trust in the team’s style is part of why the City attack is able to be so good. Doku has been finding his own footing with the team, already having two goals and four assists in all competitions as the 23-year-old is combining his devastating pace with his improving vision and ability to be able to pick out a pass. That’s something that he was able to improve during his time with the Belgian national team, where he worked with Thierry Henry, who was an assistant coach with the squad.
“I just play free. I come to the ball and I don’t care if I lose the ball or not, I play free and purely out of instinct. I go where the ball is, and I don’t think about the consequences. If I think too much about the statistics, then I’m not going to do it. So it comes naturally, and I also speak with a legend that sometimes helps me as well.
Doku is referring to what he’s learned from Henry, which is something that he expanded on how Henry’s guidance has helped him with his take ons.
“Nobody really talks to me about my 1v1s, but he was the first person ever that talked to me about my 1v1s and how, how I can be better and effective in the last phase,” Doku said. “Because a lot of people say Jeremy, have to be more statistics, more statistics, but how? They don’t tell me how. Just do it, do it, do it, but how? And he really talks to me about how, and that’s the first time, and I appreciate that.”
In response, Henry went into what he talked to Doku about and it’s clear how it came into his assist for Manchester City.
“He has zero limits but he needs guidance. When you explain something to someone, if there is no thought process behind it, they’re not going to comprehend what needs to happen,” Henry said. “We all know that he can finish, but sometimes you need to slow down and re-accelerate to see the big picture.
“Do you see the solution or do you see the problem? When you put your head up, your eyes can be pretty deceiving. What do you see? Do you see the problem? We see the solution; the brain will make you see the solution. Sometimes eyes can be deceiving, and you see the problem; that’s the difference.”
In an age where analytics are growing, this feels like a throwback to where wingers got chalk on their boots and fired crosses into the box. A Guardiola system can be criticized for turning players into robots, but Doku is showing that there is individuality left at Manchester City, which can help push the team forward as they look to win another Champions League title.
