Romelu Lukaku told him not to go to Liverpool! The multi-library of 60 million euros will be a new weapon
After selling Mahrez, Manchester City lacked a good winger. Although Palmer scored consecutive final goals, he was not the best replacement.
Spending 60 million euros to buy Belgium international Doku, he has proven his tactical value from the European Championship to the World Cup. As long as injuries can be reduced, the amazingly talented 21-year-old winger will be a new defensive weapon for the manager.
01. Manchester City get Doku: thanks to Romelu Lukaku
A. Doku succeeds Mahrez: Romelu Lukaku tells him not to go to Liverpool
In this summer window, Manchester City's personnel changes are still not small. In particular, the departure of some of the main rotation players has also given Pep Guardiola the opportunity to replenish new players.
Mahrez's move to the Saudia League to get a high-paying contract is also a logical choice for the veteran after the team won the treble. Gua Shuai is also willing to see them retreat in a hurry, so that ambitious young people can replace their previous jobs.
Just like the central defender position, Guevadior will replace Laporte, and there will be more starting personnel options. Kovacic may not really replace Gundogan in midfield position, but at least there will be an improvement in running, defending and confrontation motivation.
The winger position bought the 21-year-old Doku, and the only hidden danger is that he is prone to injury. In addition to this, the youngster's talent is undoubtedly and will also give Guardiola more room for tactical changes.
It is worth mentioning that Doku has always been one of Liverpool's targets. Back in 2018, he almost went straight from Anderlecht to Klopp.
At the time, it was Anderlecht's youth director Kim Dalesman who asked Lukaku to persuade him, telling Doku that he should play first team before going to the giants to develop, which was more beneficial to him, and also made Doku, who was only 16 years old at the time, choose to stay in the team.
B. Statistics don't lie: one of the most talented wingers in the 00s
Manchester City's vision of signing in recent years can be described as quite good, although Doku has been plagued by injuries, but both statistics and actual performance, he can be called one of the most talented wingers in the post-00s.
Of the five major league wingers and attacking midfielders born after 00 last season, only Doku, Saubersloy, Lee Gangren and Cham (Ligue 1 Clermont) all exceeded 55% of the compared players in the four indicators of dribbling, creating shooting opportunities, advancing passes and shooting/expected goals.
In the first round of the new Ligue 1 season, the starter Doku not only scored 1 goal, but also succeeded in 9 of 10 attempts, 14 of 17 one-on-one matches, and had a 92% pass success rate.
In last season's Ligue 1 breakthrough success list, Doku also rode the dust, surpassing superstars such as Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
02. Unreasonable bursts and crosses & passes count well in the assaulter
a. Doku with two-footed passes: good starting speed explosiveness
Born on May 27, 2002, Doku celebrated his 21st birthday this summer. Although his main foot is the right foot, his left foot is also very skillful.
Although he is only 1.73 meters tall, he is extremely stocky and has good strength and confrontation ability. Coupled with the explosive power of the first step start, the opponent can not limit him by relying on only one defender.
Just like this wave of offense, after receiving the transfer of the ball from a teammate, the edged Doku rushed to break through with speed before the opposing assistant defender caught it, easily throwing off the frontal defender and sending a cross of good quality.
Unfortunately, Guiri at the back of the penalty area is not known for his header, and although he hit the ball, he still flew up.
The key is that once Doku has the ball and attracts two or more defenders, his first step is to be able to push forward and push out of space and let his teammates enter the open state.
Doku's two-foot advantage allows him to easily change direction to smash, plus his passing is still good among assaulters (not comparable to the playmaker), so the overall advantage comes out.
This wave of attack, Doku's explosive power to break through in the first strong is good. The key is to smash the ball, adjust it back and pass back, and the open teammates can fully aim for the back cross, and the quality can be very high.
The landing point is not good this time, but the Manchester City team-mates will not waste such opportunities and Haaland will be a bigger threat.
Whether it's going straight to him or letting Haaland outflank the second point, it's a good way to activate him. So buying Doku makes a lot of sense to Haaland.
b. As a raider, passing is still good
From last season's Ligue 1 statistics, you can see that Doku can play on both wings. His success rate is as high as 66%, and his one-on-one success rate is also 59%.
However, he is not good at headers, and his ability to compete for high balls is more general, relying on his body to push the opponent and take the landing point at his feet.
In terms of dribbling habits, Doku still prefers to touch the ball with his main foot. When the inner cut attacks, Doku's explosive power and power confrontation advantages can also be displayed.
In particular, his excellent flexibility combined with the explosive power of twisting the waist and starting speed makes it difficult for the opponent to limit. But after going halfway, he prefers to touch the ball with his right foot, which is not as effective as when he is on the wing.
Doku's two-foot advantage is reflected in his left-footed passing and shooting well. Even in dribbling, the left foot can make a good pass.
From this wave of offense, you can see that Doku's strength and flexibility are excellent, so turning over people is a good move.
He is about to lose control after being pressed by the opponent in the middle, and can also send a good ball with his left foot.
Doku's passing accuracy is still good, and the accuracy of crosses is also very high. It's just that when you should pass the ball, it's not a good grasp. I don't know if this can be improved when I go under Gua Shuai.
03. Shooting has a very mature pattern & defense is not bad
a. After coming to Manchester City: the number of goals is expected to explode
Doku's number of goals in Ligue 1 is not much, but he is quite likely to see a significant increase in the number of goals in the future.
Because the shooting mode of Doku is relatively mature, there are several routines that are quite systematic. Once supported by some tactics and resources, it can translate into a larger, more stable threat.
After he got the ball on the right wing, he not only had a big advantage in an outside cross, but also cut inside and shot with his left foot.
His left foot is quite precise in crosses and shots, and he has good force control. Especially after cutting inside, pushing the left foot into the lower corner is already a relatively mature skill.
In this wave of attack, Doku created confusion on the right wing, causing the opponent to make a mistake. Crossing into the middle, Muyinga gave a better position on the flank to complete the shot.
In the end, Doku in front of the goal, with his left foot to make up the shot, scored a goal. It can be said that in an emergency, his use of left and right feet in transmission is indiscriminate.
On the left flank, Doku's breakthrough and offensive launch are equally sharp. In the knockout round of the European Championship that made him famous, Doku made the opponent very uncomfortable on the left side.
Although he relies more on right-footed speed (he can develop his left foot if he wants), the quality of his left-footed passes is relatively consistent in the last stroke.
b. Well defended: with a certain level of engagement and confrontation
On the other hand, Doku's defense is also doing well. Because of the impact of injuries, after his return, Rennes did not use him as an absolute main force, but more like a tactical weapon.
This usage is to ensure that his physical fitness is in the best condition and reduce the possibility of injury. After all, under Doku's kicking style, the requirements for explosiveness and confrontation are high, and once the physical condition declines, injuries are inevitable.
However, this player is not only offensive, and can contribute more than 2 steals + interceptions per 90 minutes on the defensive end, which is already a good statistic for a winger.
Just like this time the retreat, Doku chased back at high speed on the side and got stuck on the opponent's in-cut line. Use your strength and confrontation to complete the break.
Because of Doku's high-speed catch-up, the retreat formation is 7 to 3, and Rennes has a great advantage. After all, Doku has speed and power, and his retreat value is also clear at a glance.
In positional warfare, Doku can also resist oppression and find opportunities for physical confrontation. This time, also under his harassment, the team completed the break and launched a counterattack on the spot.
Unfortunately, Muyinga passed to Guiri, who failed to play well with his shot.
Conclusion:
€60 million is not a small amount, and despite the friendly payment cycle, Manchester City still paid real money for Doku.
However, with his talent, as long as he can stay away from injury, he has the potential to grow into Manchester City's ace. Even if it is not an absolute workhorse, it will be one of the key gentlemen like Koeman who can change the situation and even decide the game at a crucial moment.