Jeremy Doku blasts Belgium teammates after failed World Cup qualification shot | OneFootball

Manchester City forward Jeremy Doku has hit out at his Belgium teammates after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Kazakhstan on Saturday.

The Red Devils remain top of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers group but failed a golden opportunity to nail down a spot in next summer’s tournament owing to a sluggish performance at the Astana Arena at the weekend.

Doku has been in fine form for Manchester City of late and entered the ongoing international break in the best form he has been in at the Etihad Stadium since his arrival from Rennes in the summer of 2023.

The 23-year-old was excellent in City’s 4-1 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League a few weeks ago and just days later, Doku marked arguably his best performance for the Blues in a 3-0 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

Belgium can guarantee qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with three points against Liechtenstein on Tuesday evening but Doku has criticised his nation’s reckless displays in the World Cup qualifiers thus far.

“We’ve already dropped too many points because we weren’t good enough in a large number of matches,” the Manchester City winger said after Saturday’s 1-1 draw to Kazakhstan, as quoted by Mail Sport.

“Our campaign hasn’t gone well, no. Everyone needs to do better. The coach, me, everyone. Kevin (De Bruyne), Romelu (Lukaku). Thibaut (Courtois), if we need them to win against Kazakhstan, then we can’t do anything at the World Cup.

“We looked at this team and thought they would play long but then they played short and started playing football. It was a completely different match than last time. Maybe we didn’t analyse our opponent enough.”

A draw for Belgium against Liechtenstein is also likely to be enough to secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with North Macedonia and Wales set to face off in a monumental play-off clash elsewhere in the group.

Doku is expected to have a huge say in how Belgium fare at the World Cup – should they qualify – and the forward’s form at Manchester City will be of paramount importance to instil confidence in the former Rennes star leading to the tournament.

Guardiola has called for Doku and others in Manchester City’s star-studded frontline to pull their weight in front of goal to alleviate a growing responsibility on Erling Haaland to bail the Blues out of jail every week.

Belgium are almost certain to secure qualification to the World Cup on Tuesday and Doku will be hoping to continue his recent form for Manchester City and go from strength to strength as his club embark on a tricky run of games after the international break.