So Pep thought we needed Doku on for Jack. We were flat and 2-0 down when he went off. Scored 3 goals, had a winger committing defenders and upping our tempo after. All the analysts said how much Doku helped change the game. You think everyone else is wrong then?
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10 | Jack Grealish - 2023/24
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For the 5 minutes Doku was on, he destroyed them. Antony and Fernandes are still traumatised!!!Doku would have absolutely destroyed them.
Problem is we paid £100 million for him and let’s be honest he is a £50-60 million player all day long but when he is on thr pitch we resort to crab style football and we are toothless . City have always been better with fast paced wingers. Would like to see him given a free role to see his he does though .While it was a poor first half from the team as a whole, Jack actually did little wrong compared to the others.
Was baffled as to why he got hooked. Pep isn’t giving him any time at all to work his way back from injuries or illness and is sapping his confidence as he goes. I know one other poster got the piss taken out of him earlier but Grealish is a confidence player in his own words. And no, Doku didn’t impact the game any more than Grealish did.
Look at it this way:
- No shortage of goals, assists and flair performances at Villa, all over the pitch
- Fits into City’s controlled way of playing and really settles into it second season. Control was crucial to us winning the treble.
- In his own words countless times, he’s been mostly concerned with not losing the ball. His natural way of playing thus coached out of him.
- Pep decides this season he wants to relinquish control and gets a right winger into the team who covers for injured Grealish on the left and is allowed to play *his own game* unrestricted. After two years of Grealish having his own game coached out of him.
- Pep decides he prefers this and sets up Doku against Grealish (no one is talking about Doku vs Foden or Doku vs Bernardo) and while I KNOW criticism of Pep is largely forbidden I do not believe he has done Jack any favours so far this season because I don’t think he “gets” him.
Call me soft or stupid or whatever, but part of man management is finding different ways to get the best out of all your players and hooking a confidence player after 50 mins of his first game back from illness where he didn’t really put a foot wrong isn’t going to work.
The City fanbase inexplicably don’t love Grealish either by and large (they already seem to love Doku more who hasn’t even got a great big game record, whereas Grealish has for this club) so that won’t help him either.
People unnecessarily make it a Doku vs Jack thing. Jack has been unlucky with injury/sickness this season, but when he was available, he was generally great. We are blessed to have different options, and we will heavily rely on both. Yesterday, it wasn't a game for Jack, the same way the Chelsea game was not for Doku. Sometimes, it feels like people are just waiting to get on his back. He is such a likable lad and a great player. There is really no need.
OrigamiNinja
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I agree with this but the big problem is that the games where we need Jack are seemingly getting less and less. Currently I would have Doku playing in every home game given that nearly all opposition will set up ultra defensive. I would pick Doku in all but 5 or 6 PL away games for the same reason. Grealish would get the nod in big away games in both the PL and CL as he gives us more control, something we would definitely want somewhere like Anfield or in the Bernabeu. The problem here is that we have a £100m player that is looking at being 1st choice for approx 10 games per season…it’s nowhere near enough.People unnecessarily make it a Doku vs Jack thing. Jack has been unlucky with injury/sickness this season, but when he was available, he was generally great. We are blessed to have different options, and we will heavily rely on both. Yesterday, it wasn't a game for Jack, the same way the Chelsea game was not for Doku. Sometimes, it feels like people are just waiting to get on his back. He is such a likable lad and a great player. There is really no need.
Grealish needs to snap out of this meh level of performance. He has talked openly himself that he isn’t scoring/assisting enough and yet I don’t see any discernible changes to his game that is going to up his output. He is far too negative on the ball and too predictable (slow it down, chop inside, go back, rinse/repeat). Hes not scored since April, and while I don’t expect 20 goals a season from him, zero in 7 months makes him as dangerous as our GK…it’s not remotely good enough.
Most see it as a simple Grealish v Doku debate, but at the moment, Grealish wouldn’t deserve a place in the side even if Doku was still in France.
we won the treble with him playing most games. he was keyProblem is we paid £100 million for him and let’s be honest he is a £50-60 million player all day long but when he is on thr pitch we resort to crab style football and we are toothless . City have always been better with fast paced wingers. Would like to see him given a free role to see his he does though .
MadchesterCity
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Been drinking too much? Rumours the latest injury was due to alcohol againJust can't seem to properly get going this season. Started the season trying to get fit, then he got that dead leg, then he finally played his way back into form and looked the Jack of last season, then he's had this virus and is gonna have to work his way into the team again. Must be very frustrating for him.
MadchesterCity
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Thanks Russel BrandJack is player of confidence, typical virgo...
He is born on 10-th of September, me myself 20..
So how I work as usual. As soon as I feel challenge at work or manager hires someone like me, I as usual seek another job, where I work alone and feel safety in terms of competition, that's when I operate better and do my best.
I like when I have something guaranteed and don't feel someone's breath behind my back. I don't say that it's good, but that's how I am and definitely not gonna change.
Jack also needs that guarantee, otherwise he ain't gonna play his best football.
Right now he feels challenge and lacks assurances from the manager I guess.
As soon that situation is resolved and gats guaranteed place, I'm sure he will be as good as he was last year.
Last year he knew that he will always play, no matter what and eventually he progressed to the world-class level..
At Aston Villa he was captain, one-man-team and also he was world-class there..
Challenge ruins him, safety makes him stronger.
Manager's job is to know each player and what makes them tick and manage team accordingly.
It's all in the stars.Jack is player of confidence, typical virgo...
He is born on 10-th of September, me myself 20..
So how I work as usual. As soon as I feel challenge at work or manager hires someone like me, I as usual seek another job, where I work alone and feel safety in terms of competition, that's when I operate better and do my best.
I like when I have something guaranteed and don't feel someone's breath behind my back. I don't say that it's good, but that's how I am and definitely not gonna change.
Jack also needs that guarantee, otherwise he ain't gonna play his best football.
Right now he feels challenge and lacks assurances from the manager I guess.
As soon that situation is resolved and gats guaranteed place, I'm sure he will be as good as he was last year.
Last year he knew that he will always play, no matter what and eventually he progressed to the world-class level..
At Aston Villa he was captain, one-man-team and also he was world-class there..
Challenge ruins him, safety makes him stronger.
Manager's job is to know each player and what makes them tick and manage team accordingly.
Rumours that Kovacic died pre-season etc.Been drinking too much? Rumours the latest injury was due to alcohol again
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