11 | Jeremy Doku - 2024/25

[mexico1970]

You’re claiming Doku is the best dribbler on the planet, claiming his ball technique is world class. Wow that is some statement. Then you claim his deficiencies are due to the coaches at city are being negligent with him.

Let’s for arguments sake say you are correct. Seen as you have listed yourself as a Madrid fan how much do you think he would cost Madrid to buy? How much do you think Madrid would sell Rodrygo to City?

Best coach in the world can't coach best dribbler in the world shocker :)

 

[Belgian Flash]

You’re claiming Doku is the best dribbler on the planet, claiming his ball technique is world class. Wow that is some statement. Then you claim his deficiencies are due to the coaches at city are being negligent with him.

Let’s for arguments sake say you are correct. Seen as you have listed yourself as a Madrid fan how much do you think he would cost Madrid to buy? How much do you think Madrid would sell Rodrygo to City?

There is zero reason why Madrid would want to buy Doku with Vinicius, Mbappe, Arda Guler and Endrick already here. Rodrygo is already redundant at this point, but he is a great player who is at the same time experienced at the highest level and also still pretty young, so I don't see us accepting anything less than 70-80 million for him, and that is only if he wants to leave.

However I don't see the connection between this, and your first paragraph. Yes I am of the opinion that Doku's close ball control when dribbling is out of this world. I'm also of the opinion that his engine and space awareness is poor, that these are the two main factors for his lack of impact (not his shooting or crossing) and that at least the latter (off ball movement) can be corrected through a coach's intervention. What does any of this have to do with Rodrygo's market price?

 

[sir baconface]

Jesus, man. Use paragraphs, please. :)

Is that the best you’ve got against some well argued points?

Jesus, man.

 

[Belgian Flash]

Best coach in the world can't coach best dribbler in the world shocker :)

So youre saying Pep tells Doku "make these off ball runs (like the one from the video), when the opponent is here you move there, when youre in this position of the pitch and the ball is there, you move in that position", but Doku doesn't listen and still just stands like the static player he is, and Pep still plays him all the time?

 

[mexico1970]

So youre saying Pep tells Doku "make these off ball runs (like the one from the video), when the opponent is here you move there, when youre in this position of the pitch and the ball is there, you move in that position", but Doku doesn't listen and still just stands like the static player he is, and Pep still plays him all the time?

I'm not Pep, but you're suggesting he is coaching him wrong. It's Pep we are talking about here not Fat Sam.

 

[Wretched Vengeance]

Is that the best you’ve got against some well argued points?

Jesus, man.

I'm afraid so. I should have commented on the post too as it was, as you say, a good one.

The poster in question seemed to take it in good spirit.

I thought the smiley face gave it its intended light-hearted nature.

 

[TFC]

I love him, and think he would have been absolutely electric in the City team of a few years ago when we broke with pace and power (think Sane, Sterling, Aguero). Unfortunately for him, this is a very different more plodding side to side and backwards iteration of City. In the lads defence, it must be really difficult for him to attack banks of 10 that are just going to expose our glaring weaknesses and hit us on the break. Would love to see us get back to really going after teams.

 

[supercity88]

So youre saying Pep tells Doku "make these off ball runs (like the one from the video), when the opponent is here you move there, when youre in this position of the pitch and the ball is there, you move in that position", but Doku doesn't listen and still just stands like the static player he is, and Pep still plays him all the time?

By that logic Ancelotti is fucking wasting Mbappe too by not telling him to stop running miles offside every time there's an opportunity.

There's only so much you can do in terms of general patterns of play and structure. The rest is down to a player. Pep would give Doku the freedom to attack defenders but require him to hold the width and look to tie up a couple of opposition players and release the ball at times as well. He wouldn't tell him to beat his man and then not look up to see where a team mate was.

But equally, I do get some general points. I think Haaland has been on his heels too much recently. Whether that's because he's fucked from playing every game or just because he's demoralised I'm not sure. But there have been times when Doku has got past his man and Haaland doesn't move until too late or doesn't make the right run. That sort of thing will evolve in time. I think it was Juve he put a good ball across the box but Haaland had dropped back instead.

 

[Belgian Flash]

By that logic Ancelotti is fucking wasting Mbappe too by not telling him to stop running miles offside every time there's an opportunity.

He is to a degree. But I'd say there is a difference between the level of difficulty for the two situations. For Mbappe its harder because its a split second difference. Its about *how* he should do it. For Doku its a basic *what* he should do when he finds himself in a certain situation.

It feels like there is something very wrong with how Doku is being used because he pretty much never receives the ball in space ahead of him or even to feet but when hes already in full sprint. Look at this game against Sporting for example:




He pretty much always receives the ball to feet in the same position while basically standing and then has to come up with magic against two players and make the perfect cross after that. There is no mixing play, no unpredictability. He needs to be Ronaldinho to be able to do something there. How do you prevent that situation from happening is the question. Because I feel his potential is being wasted. How about using him as a decoy once in a while just to have his marker follow him deep or towards the middle?

Again I see this as a coaching issue, and saying its Pep so it cannot be true is just a cultish statement. Hes not infallible (as we are witnessing these days, and he got exposed eventually by Mourinho in Spain a decade ago), and I'd rather make deductions from what I'm seeing rather than reputations.

 

[supercity88]

He is to a degree. But I'd say there is a difference between the level of difficulty for the two situations. For Mbappe its harder because its a split second difference. Its about *how* he should do it. For Doku its a basic *what* he should do when he finds himself in a certain situation.

It feels like there is something very wrong with how Doku is being used because he pretty much never receives the ball in space ahead of him or even to feet but when hes already in full sprint. Look at this game against Sporting for example:




He pretty much always receives the ball to feet in the same position while basically standing and then has to come up with magic against two players and make the perfect cross after that. There is no mixing play, no unpredictability. He needs to be Ronaldinho to be able to do something there. How do you prevent that situation from happening is the question. Because I feel his potential is being wasted. How about using him as a decoy once in a while just to have his marker follow him deep or towards the middle?

Again I see this as a coaching issue, and saying its Pep so it cannot be true is just a cultish statement. Hes not infallible (as we are witnessing these days, and he got exposed eventually by Mourinho in Spain a decade ago), and I'd rather make deductions from what I'm seeing rather than reputations.

Mbappe is easy - remind him he's faster than the opposition defenders and tell him to stop being a fucking idiot and going offside.

City's whole structure and style of play is about possession of the football. Intricate pass and move football. We typically play teams who sit back and defend quite deep. In the case of the video it's a back 5 so there are two players able to pick Doku up. But you can see he is drifting into other positions and has the freedom to try and mix his game up. He's got explosive pace but isn't that quick, so for him to make a run in behind it has to be a sharp precise move executed at the right time and the success rate would be quite low.

No one is saying Pep can't try and improve things - the majority believe we have to change our approach at the moment given the issues we are having without Rodri in the side, but it's up to Doku to improve his performances more than anything for Pep to resolve. It's pretty ridiculous to question a coach who has improved the majority of players he's worked with whilst creating teams that have consistently broken all records.