Pep Guardiola has credited Jérémy Doku with making a huge improvement in his decision-making after the Belgian winger starred in Manchester City‘s 5-1 win over Burnley.
Erling Haaland’s late brace added a gloss to the scoreline that was unfair on Burnley, but by then City already had the game won thanks to two own goals from the unfortunate Maxime Estève either side of a Matheus Nunes volley.
Doku was integral to the performance, with Esteve turning in the first goal after his shot was blocked, while he also got the assist for Haaland’s first goal after giving former teammate Kyle Walker a torrid time on his return to the Etihad Stadium.
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In his first two seasons in Manchester, Doku’s end product has often been questioned but the 23-year-old has started this campaign with one goal and three assists in seven appearances.
“I ask the wingers in the final third to go one vs. one or one vs. two and I have the feeling that Jeremy’s decision-making in the final third improved, like, wow!” Guardiola said. “Comparing to the past, he made an assist to Erling and sees the channels.
“He’s an incredible threat against teams that are a low block and deep. Jeremy is really important. When the team is transitional maybe he can struggle a bit but he had the ball and brought the opponent to the box.
“Now he is reading good. When Jeremy goes there for the second goal, two or three opponents go there.
“They don’t allow him to go one vs one because he’s unstoppable. There is no winger over 5-10 metres stronger than Jeremy — he can go left or right. Now he is reading when the opponents go two or three who the other man is to be free to create a cross or an extra pass. He improved a lot.”
City’s win saw them move up the league table as they recover from a slow start to the season that included defeats at the hands of Tottenham and Brighton.
“I think since the United game [the 3-0 derby win two weeks ago] the team show another way, another body language,” Guardiola said. “Even when they were not playing good against Arsenal, how they defend, how they help each other in that many times. It’s the key for everything.”
Burnley had got back into the game when Jaidon Anthony equalised in the 38th minute, and had chances to take the lead themselves before City seized control just after the hour — first through Nunes’ strike and then a second Esteve goal forced by Oscar Bobb.
“I think 5-1 does seem really harsh on us,” Scott Parker said. “For 60, 70 minutes we were right in this game. I thought we were outstanding without the ball, with the ball.
“I thought for 70 minutes we caused City some problems. Then the two goals, which can happen here, games quickly go away from you and the two goals were obviously hammer blows for us…
“But we’ll keep going, we’ll keep trying to perform like we did here because if we perform like we did today, we’ll be hugely competitive this year.”
