Man City may have found perfect Jeremy Doku role - he just won't like it
Jeremy Doku made another important contribution from the bench as the youngster is used as a substitute at Manchester City
In a tense game between two good teams at the Etihad on Tuesday, it was the subs that made the difference. Pep Guardiola's came off in a way that Unai Emery's did not and that resulted in a decisive goal.
Manchester City may not have won if they hadn't brought Jeremy Doku on, and Aston Villa may not have lost if they hadn't brought Axel Disasi, John McGinn and Donyell Malen on. It was an attacking throw of the dice from Emery, yet all three could have done better as Doku danced his way into the box and crossed for Matheus Nunes to fire home in the 94th minute.
It felt like a huge moment for Nunes, scoring his first Premier League goal for the Blues after another inconsistent game that had seen him highly culpable for the Villa goal. Whether or not he has a long-term future at the club, he has come up with a big positive contribution under a lot of pressure.
There was also some justification for Doku, who Guardiola has said on Saturday he had been 'so unfair with' for not starting him in recent weeks - and then promptly left him on the bench again. It was a fourth consecutive appearance as a substitute from Doku, and the second in a matter of days where he has helped to change a draw into a win.
For a player whose end product hasn't been consistent enough all season, the assist for Nunes was magnificent. It is something that City are trying to work on with him, to get him to slow his feet and brain down and make better decisions in the final third.
That was a concern when he signed that hasn't gone away as we approach the end of his second season at the club, but it is worth stating he is still only 22. There is time for that to come.
The more important issue is his fitness. Doku has been plagued by regular problems that have denied him game time, including earlier in the season when he put in a man-of-the-match performance in a 6-0 win at Ipswich but picked up an injury that saw him miss the next five matches.
Taking both of those into account, using Doku as a supersub until the end of the season may be the best option for Guardiola and City. Fewer minutes means fewer risk of injury and playing against tired or disjointed legs gives him a higher chance of making an impact in the game.
The problem is that no footballer wants the role of impact sub, to the point where Gareth Southgate called his 'finishers' at the Euros to try and make it sound better.
Nobody wants to sit on the bench but some have to and in a team packed with midfielders that uses full-backs for width Guardiola has found a formula to make City stable again. Doku can perfectly complement that as a change in the second half - it just may need some effort to get him on board with the role.
-----
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.