Jeremy Doku has been one of the stars of the Club World Cup and the Manchester City winger has explained why his game has gone to another level.
Jeremy Doku has been in impressive form for Manchester City
Jeremy Doku believes that playing with freedom and Pep Guardiola's faith have helped him improve his game at Manchester City.
The Belgian winger has scored two goals in two games at the Club World Cup, and he has been in electrifying form in the United States, tormenting Juventus in Orlando on Thursday.
Doku has always had the talent to make an impact in the game but the 23-year-old's end product has been inconsistent in his first two seasons at the Etihad.
But in recent months, he has begun to look a more consistent threat and his goals against Wydad AC and Juventus were well taken. After being named man of the match against the Serie A giants, Doku revealed the freedom he has found that helped him show his best form for City.
“I feel free and enjoying my football, of course," he said. "I can still improve on certain aspects but when I play free and with the right mind, with the trust of the coach obviously then you see a better version of me and now you are seeing a glimpse of it.
“I think it’s more to do with my faith, I’m more occupied with my faith and I just give all the glory to my Lord and our saviour Jesus Christ.
“Obviously it was a good game against Juventus, we won and we were together from the start to end and we scored some nice goals. We finished top of the group and we are happy.”
City's stunning demolition of Juventus, winning 5-2 in Orlando to top Group G and give themselves an attractive path to a potential Club World Cup final, has strengthened the view that they might be rediscovering their best form.
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The Blues ended last season empty-handed beyond the Community Shield and although their form improved towards the end of the season, defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final showed the frailties remained.
But they have won all three games in the United States, and their performance against Juventus was their best in a long time. Despite the positive signs, Doku is reluctant to declare that City really are back.
“I don’t know, it depends on you guys," he said. "We just look game by game and this was a good game and we looked a bit more like how we were before and we will try to produce in every game like this and in every performance like we did now.
“Obviously there are a lot of games, we are here now, it’s a nice tournament and we are just trying to win.
“After this, the season will start again very quickly after and now we are here we want to enjoy it, try to win and it’s a beautiful place where we are in Miami so we are happy to be here.”
City will face Al Hilal in the last-16 in Orlando and will then face either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-final, with a potential semi-final showdown with Chelsea, but Doku isn't looking beyond the Saudi Pro League side.
“I think obviously they are in the middle of the season, they have a lot of energy, a lot of fans as well and I think in this tournament you cannot underestimate any team," he said.
“Every team has a lot of qualities and I’ve watched a lot and when I watch them play, I see a lot of quality and we don’t underestimate anyone.”
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