Pep Guardiola lavished praise upon Jeremy Doku, who shone once again for Manchester City against Nottingham Forest.
Speaking to the press after the contest (via Manchester City’s official YouTube channel), the Catalan boss had his say on the £55 million (CBS Sports) man’s performance.
Now, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has expressed his surprise at the maturity with which Jeremy Doku plays after his side beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola surprised by how ‘clever’ Jeremy Doku is as Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest
Branded as ‘incredible’ by Guardiola, the Belgian international put in an intelligent display, knowing when to beat his man and when to play a pass to find a teammate in a better position.
Unfortunately for Doku, Rodri’s mindless sending off in the 46th minute meant his time out on the pitch was cut off as he was substituted for Ake in the second half.
However, Pep Guardiola revealed that he has been surprised by how intelligent Jeremy Doku is after Manchester City made it six Premier League victories out of six against Nottingham Forest.
“He’s a really good, clever player to take decisions in the final third, that I didn’t expect”, he said.
“I expected incredible speed, incredible one-against-one. But after that, to have the composure, to have to take a decision in the final third.”
Jeremy Doku is not as raw as many suggested
Pep Guardiola, in some ways has reacted like several Manchester City fans who were surprised to see how polished Jeremy Doku is as a player against Nottingham Forest.
The initial feeling amongst many was that while the 21-year-old was an outstanding dribbler and had pace to burn, aspects like his decision-making, composure in possession and general playing style were extremely raw.
However, Jeremy Doku has shown that while he can be immensely direct, he also has a sense of when to retain possession and link play as well as when to burn his full-back.
All in all, Doku’s understanding of Guardiola’s system as well as his demands make it seem as if he has been at City for years now.
