Jérémy Doku has insisted Manchester City can salvage their season by beating Arsenal in Sunday's Carabao Cup final, describing the Wembley showpiece as a “good cure” for their Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid.
City were eliminated after a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, leaving them 5-1 down on aggregate. Doku, however, is determined to bounce back immediately and believes silverware remains within reach.
“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 severely dented when Bernardo Silva was sent off for a goalline handball, with Vinícius Júnior converting the resulting penalty. Doku revealed Pep Guardiola's message to the squad afterwards.
“That we can be proud of our performance,” he said. “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 also defended Silva, saying the Portuguese is not being blamed by his teammates. “I know he takes it very personally,” Doku 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 facing Arsenal, City host Liverpool in the FA Cup before travelling to Chelsea and then welcoming Arsenal to the Etihad in the Premier League. City are nine points behind Arsenal with a match in hand. “The next four games are very important,” Doku added.
