A glimpse of a dangerous combination revealed itself for Manchester City against Juventus
As Manchester City picked apart Juventus 5-2 at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando yesterday, there were a host of positives to come of yesterday's match. The performances and midfield play of Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders did stand out. Given the strengths of Rodri and Reijnders' games, they do figure to be a dangerous midfield combination for Manchester City.
There was also another combination that appeared to be blossoming for Manchester City against Juventus. It was on City's left-hand side. That was the link-up play between Jeremy Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Doku and Ait-Nouri look like they have the makings of a lethal combination for Manchester City based on yesterday's display.
Jeremy Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri look to have already struck up an understanding.
From the opening minute of Manchester City's win over Juventus, the interplay between Jeremy Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri caught the eye. They combined well and their movement complemented each other's games. If Doku drifted centrally, Rayan Ait-Nouri went on the overlap on the left wing. When Jeremy Doku stayed wide, it created space for Ait-Nouri to go to work in the centre of the pitch. The second part of that particular equation created Manchester City's opening goal against Juventus. The goal can be seen below.
Rayan Ait-Nouri threaded in a superb through ball from Jeremy Doku from a central area. Doku got inside, beat his man and calmly beat Michele Di Gregorio in the Juventus goal in the 9th minute. It was a beautifully constructed goal; however, the link-up and understanding between Doku and Ait-Nouri was hard to ignore. Jeremy Doku knew to make the run as he knew Rayan Ait-Nouri could pick him out. The fact that Ait-Nouri produced a ball that Kevin De Bruyne would be proud of speaks to his technical ability.
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That goal was the perfect encapsulation of the combination play between Jeremy Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri. The pair did combine for other moments of quality during yesterday's match. But that one moment in particular did stand out above all others.
Jeremy Doku is relishing playing with Rayan Ait-Nouri at Manchester City.
In an interview published on mancity.com, Jeremy Doku explained that he is enjoying playing with Rayan Ait-Nouri. He added that the pair have already established a connection. Speaking on Rayan Ait-Nouri, Doku said: 'Honestly, he's a top player. He's settled so fast and quick, he can play inside or outside.'
'It's a joy to play with him. He speaks French as well.'
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'Honestly, the connection is there. And I'm happy that he's here with us.'
The play of Rayan Ait-Nouri and Jeremy Doku did help Manchester City beat Juventus yesterday. Their combination play on the left did help keep the Juventus defence stretched during their FIFA Club World Cup Group G fixture. Looking further ahead, Doku and Ait-Nouri combining and complementing each other on the left could help Manchester City unlock the low defensive blocks teams employ against Pep Guardiola's side. They showed that yesterday which was a massive positive for Manchester City to take out of yesterday's win.
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