For heaven's sake, Jérémy. You're not supposed to really get pleasure from these video games. Besides, it appears typically you'll be able to, even at this rarefied stage. Maybe probably the most placing a part of Jérémy Doku's thrilling efficiency right here was its playfulness, the sense of enjoyable, the way in which he was into it from the primary second, mainly dancing on the market.
Doku has the nickname The Depend, a reference to the Star Wars Sith Lord Depend Dooku. His efficiency in opposition to Liverpool was extra like watching the younger Yoda scything his approach round a kind of mass lightsaber massacres, whirling and gliding, conscious of area, wind, the crumpling of a blade of grass behind him.
Doku has one explicit transfer, The Wand. Basically he waves his foot over the ball and runs off the opposite approach. Sounds simple. You strive doing it. Right here he spent his total 74 minutes on the pitch making elite footballers vanish.
He did it to Mo Salah an hour right into a gruelling sport on a sodden pitch. A bit later he was double-teamed by Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley, slowed to a stroll, stopped, then out got here the wand. Expelliarmus! They each vanished, Doku easing via the area to batter a shot at aim.
He was all the time going to attain. When he did it was partially a product of the psychological ache inflicted on the Liverpool defence within the previous 62 minutes. Ibrahima Konaté was cautious of getting too shut. From there Doku didn't want to make use of his full vary, simply jinked to his proper and walloped an exciting shot into the far nook, a tough, flat, howling factor, mainly unsaveable.
Doku got here off with the sport achieved at 3-0, having accomplished seven dribbles, at a degree the place no person else on the pitch had bought previous one. He has all the time had extraordinary items, superb numbers on the bodily checks, the standing bounce, the sideways snap. In full stream right here it regarded like attempting to play in opposition to a cellular forcefield, such is his management, the pace of his ft, the facility of his thighs and shoulders.
That is Doku's third season in Manchester. He's nonetheless solely 23. Pep Guardiola was cautious afterwards to not overpraise him, suggesting he most likely gained't ever be a very prolific goalscorer. Nevertheless it was a efficiency that may simply make him into one thing else.
It was an excessive amount of for Liverpool in any case. This will or is probably not the start of Metropolis's title cost. However it's certainly the tip of Liverpool's defence. The champions have misplaced 5 league video games with 27 nonetheless to play. Title winners typically lose between three and 6. One thing dramatic must occur to this crew. Nevertheless it doesn't appear to be it is going to.
True, Liverpool had a aim disallowed for a really foolish notion of offside. That they had some good spells. Florian Wirtz performed nicely. But when Arne Slot is struggling to seek out efficient patterns, the poverty of his crew solely served to exhibit how peerlessly good Guardiola is at this; simply as Doku's growth is an ideal instance of what Guardiola loves, that wild starvation for constructing groups and dealing at gamers.
Manchester had been agreeable, damp and delicate at kick-off, with moody skies and squalls of drizzle, probably the most Sunday of all November Sundays. What stood out early on was Metropolis's fluidity. Doku roamed, as did Rayan Cherki and Bernardo Silva. Konaté had a kind of days the place he appears to be enjoying in curler skates. However he suffered additionally from the brittleness of Liverpool's midfield.
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Earlier than kick-off Metropolis had screened a gushing coronational video in honour of Pep's 1,000th sport as a supervisor. The opening aim was this crew's personal tribute, like a flick again via ages. It started deep on the left, Doku and Silva zipping the ball ahead, a kind of moments the place a crew simply appears to be talking to itself.
From there it turned like a model of Carlos Alberto's back-to-front aim for Brazil in opposition to Italy in 1970, however with a contemporary mash-up of managed possession chucked into the combo as Metropolis showcased some traditional Pep model, like a kind of moments at an Olympics opening ceremony the place instantly everybody's morris dancing or Tim Berners-Lee is inventing the web.
From there it was present Pep. Matheus Nunes swung in a cross for Erling Haaland to attain with a header that was both a bit lucky in its slight deflection off Konaté, or a case of the extra I lurk in area ready to move the ball in, the luckier I get.
Both facet of the aim Metropolis had been far the higher crew, and in an fascinating approach. Guardiola's triple No 10 system seems to be stuffed with promise. Seven of the beginning outfield 10 had been 23 or underneath. Nico González had one other high quality sport. Phil Foden seems to be vibrant and perky. Even his hair seems to be completely different, looser and extra expressive, the hair of a well-groomed pirate.
And Metropolis have now gained 5 out of their previous six within the league. They have to be severe title challengers, perhaps even favourites given they've achieved this many occasions earlier than, that there are not any bars to be raised or ghosts to be slain. Guardiola can certainly really feel it, even when he gained't say. And Arsenal will too from right here.
