If Manchester City do go on to win the Premier League title, they’ll have Jeremy Doku to thank.
He has been the player to not give up over this past week, turning one point from two games into four. After scoring two to secure a point against Everton, Doku opened the scoring in Man City’s eventual 3-0 win over Brentford.
The Citizens were struggling before Doku got things up and running, moving within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal. That gap could increase to five again by the time Man City next kick off, though.
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How did Jeremy Doku shine in Man City vs Brentford:
What was Jeremy Doku’s Squawka Score?
Jeremy Doku Squawka Score: 81%
A 81% on the Squawka Score for Doku shows just how influential he was for Man City. It was the highest Score of any winger or No.10 in the Premier League on Saturday. For added context, his teammates Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo scored 64 and 63 respectively.
The Squawka Score is our proprietary performance rating, combining multiple Opta stats into a single percentage. It benchmarks players against their positional peers, allowing quick comparisons. Learn more about how it works here: https://www.squawka.com/en/news/squawka-score-explained/
Jeremy Doku’s attacking threat
Doku was the only Man City attacking player to really turn up at the Etihad. Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki largely underwhelmed, and Erling Haaland was on the periphery as usual.
His strike against Brentford was excellent, a curling effort into the top corner on the hour mark. And it was exactly what his performance deserved.
Doku’s attacking threat has grown in recent weeks, with three goals in his past two games. It’s the first time Doku has scored in back-to-back Premier League games, and adds to a strike in the FA Cup semi-final win over Southampton.
Before the game, Pep Guardiola joked that he was to thank for Doku’s patch of form — saying it’s up to the manager when a player plays good, and down to the player when they play poorly. Doku’s form is certainly down to his own hard work. But Guardiola has also helped him to thrive with more responsibilities.
Man City attacked heavily down Doku’s flank against Brentford. The Belgian had 86 touches on Saturday, the second-most of any Man City player. That’s generally unheard of in modern football. Doku created an impressive six chances, more than any other Man City player, with 44 passes into the final third.
Doku also had four shots, hitting the target twice, with only Erling Haaland (four shots on target from five) managing more in both metrics.
Key attacking stats
- Chances created: 6 (Ranked 1st)
- Shots: 4 (Ranked =2nd)
- Passes into the final third: 44 (Ranked 1st)
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Jeremy Doku’s tricky dribbling
When people think of Doku, their mind will usually go to his dribbling first. Not just take-ons, but his general ball carrying. Even on an off day, the Belgian is a threat.
Michael Kayode really struggled to deal with Doku, even with a formation switch to have cover in front of him. The Italian’s main plan seemed to be to show Doku down the line, trying to limit his cutting in. But Doku won a lot of their one-on-one battles, both with the ball and in a general foot race.
Doku attempted 10 take-ons against Brentford, winning six. There have only been seven occasions of a player completed more than six take-ons in a single Premier League game this season. And Doku’s responsible for two of those. In fact, this is the eighth game in which Doku has completed at least five take-ons. And his 60% success rate on Saturday was pretty solid.
It was also the ninth game in which Doku has contested at least 15 duels in the Premier League this season. He’s only contested more than the 19 he did against Brentford once, vs Arsenal in September. That same Arsenal game was also one of just two occasions in which Doku has won more duels than he did vs Brentford (11) on Saturday.
Key duel stats
- Take-ons attempted: 9 (Ranked 1st)
- Take-ons completed: 6 (Ranked 1st)
- Total duels: 19 (Ranked 1st)
Jeremy Doku’s unsung contributions
When Guardiola joked about his contribution to Doku’s current form, he did go on to praise the Belgian’s all-round display. And he made certain to mention his defensive contributions.
When you have a player like Doku, it can be forgiven if they don’t get involved too much defensively. After all, they’ve been signed to made a difference in the opposition third. But, those defensive contributions can come in key areas. And workrate has become so important for the modern winger.
Doku made two tackles against Brentford, which was actually the second-most of any Man City player. Only Bernardo Silva (six) made more. The Belgian was also one of five Man City players to make an interception. He also won possession once in the middle third and once in the defensive third, showing that he was indeed tracking back.
Key defensive stats
- Tackles: 2 (Ranked =2nd)
- Interceptions: 1 (Ranked =1st)
- Fouls won: 3 (Ranked =1st)