Jérémy Doku believes that winning the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on Sunday would provide a 'good cure' for Manchester City's Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid. City were eliminated after a 2-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium, leaving them 5-1 down on aggregate.
'It's a good cure,' the winger 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.'
City's hopes of overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit were dealt a blow when Bernardo Silva was sent off for a goalline handball, with Vinícius Júnior converting the resulting penalty. Despite the setback, Doku revealed Pep Guardiola's message to the squad: 'That we can be proud of our performance. Playing against a big team like that, 10 against 11, and performing like we did, putting them into trouble. Not every team can do that.'
Doku insisted that Silva was not being blamed by the team. 'I know he takes it very personally,' he said. '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.'
After the Carabao Cup final, City face Liverpool in the FA Cup, then travel to Chelsea and host Arsenal in the league. City trail Arsenal by nine points but have a game in hand. 'The next four games are very important,' Doku added.
