Jeremy Doku has expressed confidence in Manchester City’s chances of ending the season on a positive note, despite their elimination from the UEFA Champions League.
City’s European campaign came to an end following a heavy aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the round of 16. The English side had suffered a 3-0 loss in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium before falling 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, sealing a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
The second leg proved even more difficult for Pep Guardiola’s side after captain Bernardo Silva was sent off early in the game for handling a goal-bound effort from Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian forward converted the resulting penalty and later added another goal in stoppage time, while Erling Haaland scored City’s only goal of the match.
Reflecting on the performance, Doku insisted the team showed enough quality, even while playing with 10 men.
“We played well (against Real),” he said. “We played well with 11 against 11 and 10 against 11. We created chances.
“I feel like if we play like that every game we’ll put many teams in trouble. There are some good things to take out of this game to the next one.”
The defeat caps a challenging period for City, who also dropped points in the Premier League with a draw against West Ham United, leaving them trailing league leaders Arsenal by nine points.
Despite the setback, the 23-year-old winger remains confident that the team can still compete for silverware this season.
“There’s still a lot to play for. We’re still in three competitions, three trophies to win.
“If we do that it’s still going to be a great season,” Doku added.
City now turn their attention to the League Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley, a fixture Doku described as an opportunity to quickly bounce back from their European disappointment.
Turning to the incident involving Silva, Doku said the midfielder continues to receive full support from his teammates.
“Obviously he’s disappointed,” he said. “Knowing him, I know he takes it very personally.
“But even after it, we stood there, we were in the game. He’s disappointed but we’re all there for him. We know his contribution to the team is massive.
“We can be proud of our performance. Playing against a big team like that, 10 against 11, and still performing like we did, still putting them into trouble. Not every team can do that.”
