I like Daka and I’ve wanted him to succeed because he seems like a very decent fellow.
With that said, I really thought it just wasn’t working for him here for a few reasons. It’s difficult for anybody to be the “Vardy replacement,” but an even tougher task if you don’t play with the snarl and grit that helped make Vardy famous. It’s hard to explain, but I just don’t see those attributes in Daka’s mindset. He’s just… too nice?
Today, though, he showed real resilience. He fluffed a few early chances but kept at it (he missed arguably a great back post chance vs Plymouth in the 1st half too, but bounced back). And he took a beating from Millwall today (some of those tackles were awful and Daka’s shins were both bloodied up a bit), yet after he let himself take a few secs to get his bearings back, just kept getting back up and getting on with it.
I can also go on and on about the more technical/tactical side of his performance tonight (which was superb) but for me I just loved seeing him play with a smile on his face that disguised a fire inside. Millwall thought they could kick him out of the game and wound up only hurting themselves.
Who knows, maybe Maresca is being coy, Daka is still down the pecking order, and he’s still viewed as an asset we can afford to sell in January. If not, then I would be thrilled if him taking this chance he’s gotten really is the start of bigger and better things for him at City.