Manchester City are in the midst of an incredibly poor run of form. Pep Guardiola’s side have failed to win in their last seven games in all competitions and have not won in the Premier League since the 26th of October when they beat relegation-threatened Southampton 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
It has been an inexplicably bad spell for the Cityzens, who have struggled without talismanic midfielder Rodri, who is sidelined with an injury. Guardiola’s side have a chance to bounce back on Wednesday night as they face high-flying Nottingham Forest at home.
Rodri-Manchester-City
The legendary manager will be relying on his biggest stars to get City out of this rut, with Phil Foden needing a good performance after a poor season so far.
Foden’s stats in 2024/25
After an incredible 2023/24 campaign, where he starred to help City win their fourth consecutive Premier League title, this season could not have been more different for Foden.
The versatile English attacker scored 27 goals and grabbed 12 assists in 53 games across all competitions last term, winning the PFA Player’s Player of the Year as a result.
This campaign has been almost the complete opposite for City’s number 47. In 17 games across all competitions, he has just three goals and an assist to his name.
Incredibly, the 24-year-old is yet to score in the Premier League this season and has a long way to go to match his 19 strikes in the top flight last term.
Phil Foden
Indeed, there is no doubting Foden’s talents. The England international is clearly an incredible player. Not only do his stats showcase that, but Guardiola himself has publicly lauded him many times.
In a press conference in 2019, he explained that “Phil is the most, most, most talented player I have ever seen in my career as a manager”. That is high praise from a man who has previously coached Lionel Messi for several years.
Pep Messi
It is certainly frustrating that Foden’s form has dipped this season. Whilst Guardiola has persisted with him in recent weeks, it might be time for a change.
The Spaniard may well decide to rotate the Englishman out of the side before the Forest clash and bring in a different type of profile of player...
The Man City star who could replace Foden vs Forest
Belgian winger Jeremy Doku made the move to the Etihad Stadium for an expensive fee of £55.5m in the summer of 2023. The 22-year-old has impressed during his time at the club, and has shown flashes of brilliance up and down the flanks for City.
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So far, the former Anderlecht attacker has played 57 games for the Premier League champions, scoring eight times and registering 13 assists in that time.
He caught the eye with ten assists in the Premier League last term in his debut campaign. However, the 2024/25 campaign has not been quite as fruitful yet, with four goals and assists in 14 appearances.
The 22-year-old can be a real point of difference against Forest and could be the man to help get City out of this terrible run of form. He is a formidable dribbler, thriving in one-vs-one scenarios, where he is statistically one of the best players in the world.
As per FBref, Doku averages 4.47 completed take-ons and 8.17 carries into the penalty box per game over the last 365 days. He places in the top 1% for each.
Doku dribbling stats in last 365 days
Stat (per 90)
Progressive carries
Carries into final third
Carries into penalty box
Take-ons attempted
Take-ons completed
Take-on success rate
Stats from FBref
There is no doubt what Doku could bring to this City side; quick dribbling which will add a unique element to a team that has been void of ideas of late. As football statistician Statman Dave described him, the winger is “electric” on the ball, and is largely unlike any of his teammates.
He could utterly terrorise Forest, with it perhaps wise to line him up on the right flank up against former Aston Villa man, Alex Moreno, who has already been dribbled past 1.7 times per game on average this season. Ola Aina, on the other side, has been dribbled past just 0.6 times per league outing.
jérémy-doku-manchester-city
Dropping Foden and bringing his Belgian teammate into the side would be a bold call, but perhaps an unsurprising one given the Englishman’s recent form. Perhaps the change out wide will be exactly what City need to get themselves out of this awful run of form.
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