Doku: Compared with last season, I now dare to ask for the ball and am no longer afraid of mistakes.
6686 Sports reported on November 6 that in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League, Manchester City defeated Borussia Dortmund 4-1 at home. After the game, Doku was interviewed by CBS.
Compared to last season, you have made significant progress. What changes have taken place?
There are many differences. The biggest difference is - I play more freely now. I will take the initiative to ask for the ball, no longer afraid of losing the ball, and no longer think too much. I just play by instinct and go wherever the ball is, without thinking about the outcome.
If I’m always thinking about data, I won’t be able to do my best. Everything becomes natural now. In addition, I also communicate with a legend (Henry) - he sometimes gives me some assistance.
Can you share what Henry (previously an assistant coach with the Belgian national team) learned from you?
Having him on the team is a huge bonus. What I miss most is the personal coaching at the end of practice.
He is very sincere and will not take your emotions into consideration. He will tell you directly: ‘It doesn’t work here and needs to be changed. ’ You can choose to accept and improve, or stagnate and miss out on growth. I'm grateful to him.
No one had really talked to me about my one-on-one breakthrough before, and he was the first one. He showed me how to be more effective and more threatening in the final stages. A lot of people would just say, ‘You need more data,’ but they never told me how to do it. Henry was different, he would actually tell me ‘how to do it’ and that was the first time anyone had ever taught me how.
Henry CBS Comments
The upper limit of multi-database is very high. But he needed guidance, someone to tell him what to do.
When you tell a player about strategy, if he doesn't form his own thinking, he won't be able to understand what really needs to be done.
We all know he can finish opponents in one-on-one situations, but at some point, you have to learn to slow down and then speed up again to really see the full picture on the court. The key is: is what you see a ‘solution’ to the problem, or a ‘problem’ that needs to be overcome?
When you look up, your eyes can be misleading—sometimes you see obstacles instead of breakthroughs. However, for truly top players, their brains lead them to see solutions to problems. This is what sets them apart.