Jérémy Doku plays brilliantly against Liverpool and is celebrated by the English press. But his own coach doesn’t see him as a goalscorer – and that’s perfectly fine.
In the modern football world, where everything revolves around goals and assists, Jérémy Doku of Manchester City is possibly the perfect counter-example.
The Belgian, now in his third season with the Cityzens, is not particularly known for his goalscoring record – and yet he is one of those players for whom fans go to the stadium. What the spectators at the Etihad Stadium saw from Doku on Sunday afternoon did not fit the usual picture.
Jérémy Doku was voted player of the match against Liverpool
The “Count”, as Doku is called in Manchester in reference to the villain “Count Dooku” from the Star Wars series, not only flashed his pure talent on the ball: he almost single-handedly swept Liverpool out of the stadium in his 100th appearance for City.
“A whirlwind of tricks and sprints”
After a masterful performance including a won penalty, the Belgian finally put the finishing touches with his dream goal to make it 3-0 (62′). After a quick hook to the right, Doku curled the ball from just under 20 meters with a beautiful curler into the far corner.
The English Guardian described Doku’s curler as “a feast for the eyes”, but also focused on his performance away from the goal. “He was like a whirlwind of tricks and sprints and deserved the ovation when he was substituted.”
With more than ten dribbles and ten won tackles, as well as more than three chances created and three shots on goal, Doku also found himself in prominent company. The last player to achieve this was the then Premier League superstar Eden Hazard in 2019.
“Doku will never be a top scorer”
“Perhaps the most striking aspect of Jérémy Doku’s rousing performance was his playfulness, his joy of the game and the way he was fully involved from the first moment and almost danced on the pitch,” it continues. “He enjoyed it, and every time he got the ball, alarm bells rang at Liverpool. He radiated pure threat.”
This was Doku’s first goal in the Premier League this season. But that’s not how he should be measured, as his coach Pep Guardiola emphasized after the game. “I don’t think Doku will ever be a top scorer. But he strives to get better and listen. And he has special dribbling skills,” said the Spaniard after the game – and he’s right.
The man of the match himself struck the same note after the final whistle. “I’m not a player who says after a game: ‘You didn’t score a goal, you didn’t give an assist, you played badly.’ “I’m not that kind of player,” the documentary described his approach. “A bad game for me is when I don’t touch the ball, when I’m not effective or when I lose a lot of balls: that’s a bad game.”
The Belgian international does not want to be measured by goal involvements: “If I hadn’t scored a goal today, would I have said it was a bad game? No, I would have said it was a good game. That’s how I am and that’s how I’ll stay.”
While Doku does not seem to be made for the role of goalscorer, his importance for the system at City should not be underestimated. Through his quality in one-on-one situations, the Belgian tears gaps and creates space for his teammates that is difficult to capture with statistics.
Guardiola praise: “When it comes to influence…”
Guardiola would probably have only had words of praise for the 23-year-old even without a goal involvement. For the Spaniard, Doku put in “one of the best performances” in a City shirt. Pep added, however: “When it comes to influence.”
Because while assists and goals will continue to be in the focus of observers, it is the influence of player types like Doku that create the space for others to shine in the first place.