4 days ago
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Manchester City have finished in the top eight of the Champions League this week following a crazy matchday in Europe
When it was confirmed Jeremy Doku was to appear alongside the Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola for Tuesday afternoon's press conference, it partially showed the Blues' hand. City needed to replace Antoine Semenyo in the side which beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at the weekend and Doku's involvement proved he would more than likely be the man filling in.
Doku's time at the Etihad Stadium has been positive when he has been fit. Sadly, niggling and recurring injuries have halted momentum for the Belgian. But, as he sat in front of the English and Turkish press, the winger insisted better days were coming for him.
"I will see at the end of the season. I am always trying to grow and become better. I feel like I have been doing better," Doku replied when asked if this would be his prime season. "Let's see what it brings. I think this season will be better than the previous two for sure."
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Sadly for Doku, this was an untimely prediction. His season is set to be paused once more having picked up an injury in the victory over Galatasaray. Guardiola confirmed after the match the forward had felt his calf during the win and March could be when he returns to the pitch.
It is yet another worry for City to add to their mounting injury list which features a host of defenders as well as forward Savinho and midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Nico Gonzalez. Despite this blow, the victory over Galatasaray and finishing in the top eight of the league phase means the Blues have avoided a nightmare scenario which could have had major consequences on their title aspirations.
As Doku rightly pointed out in his pre-match media duties, reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League was going to hold greater significance this year due to injuries. "Very important," the forward explained.
"If you are in the top eight you don't play two games. Playing two games less is good for us."
January's schedule has been manic for the Blues and February is already looking stacked with the FA Cup fourth round and the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle United to contend with. But an extra two Champions League games in the play-offs would have had far-reaching consequences for this squad.
Not only would it have made it trickier to advance further in the Champions League, it also would have put more stress on the available players leading to potentially more injuries and provided less recovery time ahead of the Premier League fixtures at the weekends. City clawed the gap to Arsenal back to four points on Saturday.
The two teams will face each other in April but the title race could have already been out of City's grasp if February went wrong. Instead, City have given themselves longer to recover next month and have avoided a nightmare fixture pile up which could have derailed the whole season.
This will be of little comfort to Doku who is set for another period on the sidelines. But if it is going to be March when he returns, he will have at least missed fewer games and his teammates should have had less strain on their bodies as they try to continue the battle on four fronts.
Adding another name on the injury list was a blow however the victory over Galatasaray and qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League does soften it.
English (US) ·