Belgian “disappointed” but wants to focus on learning from European defeat
Jeremy Doku believes Manchester City could use Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Arsenal to lift the mood within the dressing room, after their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.
City’s 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday confirmed a 5-1 aggregate loss to the Spanish side, ending their European campaign earlier than expected. Doku says the focus now is on winning silverware at Wembley and keeping their season on track.
“It’s a good cure,” Doku said. “We’ll do everything to win that game and to win a trophy. There’s still a lot to play for. We’re in three competitions, three trophies to win. If we do that it’s still going to be a great season.
“Of course we’re disappointed with the Champions League – it’s always a nice trophy to have. But there are some lessons to take out of these two games.”
City’s attempt to fight back in the second leg came to nothing after Bernardo Silva handled the ball near his goalline and was sent off just 20 minutes in. Vinicius Junior then converted the resulting penalty to give Madrid control of the tie.
Doku also pointed out that “the next four games are very important” for City. After the Carabao Cup final Pep Guardiola’s team will face a decisive run of games, meeting Liverpool, Chelsea and then Arsenal within two weeks that will decide whether or not they can pip the Gunners to the Premier League title.
