Pep Guardiola has admitted that he has been 'very unfair' on Man City star Jeremy Doku in the midst of the decreasing playing time of the wing player.
Doku, who came to City in 2023 in a deal of £ 55 million from Rennes, has trouble nailing a starting place in the line-up during the 2024-25 campaign.
Of his 24 league games for City, only 14 of them have come in the form of a start and in their last few games Doku has only been in the first XI once.
Guardiola thinks about Doku's omission: 'I have been very unfair against Jérémy Doku in recent competitions. I remember the road races against Tottenham and against Brighton. They would have been impossible without him.
'The only reason why Doku has not played lately is because we are not attacking with Wingers. We use the wide backs and the players in it. '
The city boss then described Doku as 'not to stop' when he is in shape, but admitted that the winger in one recent game was just 'not good' enough.
“Jeremy, in the last meters, is unstoppable and I am very happy with the great game he had (in the 2-0 win over Everton),” he explained.
'On Saturday he had the ball, stretched out the defense and came to the name rule. His impact was much better than with Old Trafford (in the 0-0 win against Manchester United), where he was not good. '
From his 24 league games this season, Doku has only provided three goals and four assists – emphasizes his struggles to make an impact in the last third part.
In total, Doku has provided 12 goals and 18 assists from 74 performances for Guardiola.
As it looks now, City needs much more from the Belgian international, because they want to seal a top five finish and next season in turn a place in the Champions League near.
This week, Guardiola insisted on city supporters to show non -losing support in the crunch -collision on Tuesday with Aston Villa in the midst of continuous fan protests about ticket issues.
City Fan Groups will continue with demonstrations against different issues in the Etihad Stadium, but have chosen to organize them for pre-match instead of repeating the nine-minute boycott during the victory over Leicester City.
The side of Guardiola is fourth after successive victories, but the defeat by Villa would serve as an important blow to their ambitions of the Champions League.
Five teams – Newcastle United, City, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Unai Emery's Villa – are separated by two points in the battle for three places. City fans have recognized that and protest an hour before the kick-off outside the stadium.
For the first time in ten years, City has a frozen season ticket and general admission prices, but has since announced stricter parameters to maintain a seasonal card for future campaigns – something former player Esme Morgan has publicly criticized. MatchDay tickets for the Villa match start at £ 71.
“It's a final and we need our people,” said Guardiola. 'I think our people want the Champions League again next season. Hopefully they can help us from the minute. Don't wait '.
Comments