When you mention Jack Grealish to anyone with a passing interest in football, the usual platitudes will be trotted out. ‘Big calves,’ ‘pretty boy,’ ‘a maverick,’ ’bit of a jack the lad.’
None of those fairly disparaging comments pay heed to just how dedicated a footballer he is, and why him making it to the very top of the English game would come as no surprise to those around him.
By Jason Pettigrove
It’s easy to forget just how influential he was whilst at Aston Villa, and why Pep Guardiola was tempted to spend £100m of Man City’s money to take him to the Etihad Stadium.
Grealish signed for the Citizens on August 5, 2021, and less than two years later could lay claim to being one of the Treble winners.
Not some bit part player either, but one for whom Guardiola depended in that special season that seems to come around once in a blue moon – no pun intended.
That Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering Man United side were the last team to do the treble of FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League way back in 1999, tells you just how difficult it is to do, even if the layman would now contend that ‘football is boring and the same clubs always win.’
That’s not true of course, though it’s the perception of many.
Perhaps it’s the relentless nature of the Pep Guardiola juggernaut once it gets going. His Barcelona and Bayern sides before City all had it in them to go on epic winning runs which almost always resulted in a trophy.
At City, the Catalan might well have the best players at his disposal, but he still has to mould them into a team, which isn’t always easy.
In any event, it’s up to the opposition to work out ways and means to beat Guardiola and his men at their own game. After all, it’s just 11 vs 11 right?
If Guardiola perhaps has one fault it is that his quest for footballing perfection knows no bounds. He is famously forensic in the manner in which he works, and whilst that has served him well to this point, it’s still a largely unachievable aim.
What that way of working does achieve, however, is keeping every player in the squad on their toes and fighting for their places. Every single week.
When you consider the calibre of his playing staff, that’s man management at its finest. One can’t help but doff one’s cap in Pep’s direction.
Although the smallest drop off in percentage terms for a particular action wouldn’t necessarily trouble most managers, for Pep it’s a cardinal sin. Moreover, he has both the ability and the nous to be able to interchange players at will.
Jack Grealish is only just learning that.
Though he’s spent time out of the City side before now, it’s not felt like it does at this stage. Since the end of the 2022/23 campaign, he’s only played the full 90 minutes in nine games across all competitions this season, discounting the Club World Cup.
When you consider some of those games have been against Everton, Luton, Young Boys (x2) and Sheffield United, you can see a pattern emerging, with respect.
Do the stats support Pep Guardiola in this particular situation though?
In the 703 minutes that he’s played so far in 2023/24, less than eight full matches in total, Grealish has managed only three goals and one assist. Five shots on target is a pretty appalling return from the 28-year-old too.
His passing accuracy of 86.1% is still reasonable enough, and 60 touches in the opposition box indicates a player that likes to get in amongst it rather than hideaway and wait for the ball to come to him.
Being dispossessed on 18 occasions will surely count against him, but 29 ball recoveries goes some way to neutralising that statistic.
When all is said and done, has Pep Guardiola made the right choices by bringing in Jérémy Doku and Phil Foden in his stead?
At 21 years of age Doku has markedly less experience than his contemporary, but has been played for over 200 minutes more (975 in total). Injuries can and do play a part but there’s little doubt he has been preferred to Grealish in many games this season.
He only has two goals to his name but has assisted on five occasions already, and his passing accuracy of 84.1% is only just shy of Grealish.
Although he has been dispossessed 20 times, his 53 ball recoveries is much better than the England international, as is his 135 touches in the opposition box – more than double his number 10.
Phil Foden has played significantly more minutes than the aforementioned pair (1,863), so one might expect his figures to reflect that.
Indeed, eight goals and seven assists with an 88.6% passing accuracy is a fine return.
Being dispossessed 26 times is surprisingly the worst of the trio, but 86 ball recoveries is by far the best. His 121 touches in the opposition box isn’t as good as you might expect for the amount of time he’s had on the pitch, but still would get him the nod over Grealish.
In summary, depending on what formation Pep Guardiola wishes to play, Jack Grealish can’t really have too many complaints.
He needs to get back to his pre-treble form if he wants to play a bigger role in the team – his most recent injury notwithstanding.
(Images from IMAGO)
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