Everyone seems to have an opinion about Jack Grealish. But those opinions vary. Many admire his kindness towards children, seeing the person behind the player. Others see his exuberant celebrations and draw their own conclusions when the form wanes.
On the pitch, some see such a sublime talent that they are still saddened that his unique qualities were overlooked by England this summer. Others have little sympathy, viewing him as a glorified water carrier out wide and pointing to a lack of end product.
“I know how professional I actually am,” says Grealish but he faces a challenge, nevertheless. His City career could depend on it. Perhaps it is the opinion of Pep Guardiola that will matter most. But Grealish can still be the one to shape his future.
Passion still burns
Dean Smith, his former manager at Aston Villa, once called Grealish ‘an encyclopaedia of football’ – a detail best remembered because the player claimed to not know the meaning of the word when it was put to him in an interview. It became a meme.
But beyond the mockery, there was a salient point. Grealish’s passion for the game and knowledge of it is rare. Speaking to Stephen Clemence, another old coach at Villa, one he worked closely with on a one-to-one basis, he highlights this quality too.
“He watches every game,” Clemence tells Sky Sports. “You talk to him about a player and he knows them, whether that is in this country or abroad.” Grealish publicly tipped Eden Hazard to become a world beater two years before taking Chelsea to the title.
Impressive pre-season
The winger may have earned his move to Manchester City because of those care-free performances for Villa, an air of insouciance to his game. “You cannot teach him to do the things he does,” says Clemence. But it always did mask a fierce desire to do this.
Next season will test that theory to its limit but the early signs are positive. At the start of Manchester City’s pre-season tour, Pep Guardiola was soon speaking of his “unbelievable attitude” and seemingly detecting a fresh willingness to improve.
By the end of it, the praise of his performance levels had become even more glowing. “Jack has had an incredible few games,” said Guardiola. “I perfectly remember the Jack I know. How he performs, in training and behaviours, it is like two seasons ago.”
Ah, two seasons ago. Grealish’s role in City’s historic treble-winning season is certainly worth remembering. He played in 50 of their matches, stepping it up in his second season. He described it as his happiest time in football. “Playing with confidence.”
Where do you go from there? Grealish asked himself that question. “I have never been like that before, where you just feel so high,” he revealed. “At times you think, ‘How are we ever going to top this?’ You do sit there sometimes and think, ‘What do we do now?'”
Dip in performance
What he did was lose his place in the City team and Gareth Southgate’s England squad. There was a drop off in performance, although it should not be overstated. Grealish still kept the ball well and was fouled more regularly than any other Premier League player.
But it does not take much for Guardiola to detect a dip. The subsequent loss of status means that, for Grealish, the answer to that question of his should finally be clear. What does he do now? Put the work in to reclaim his position for both club and country.
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New opportunity at City
Grealish is keenly aware that he has a head start on some of his rivals for a place in Guardiola’s team this coming season, a beneficiary, albeit unwanted, of his tournament-free summer. Some City players have skipped much of this pre-season.
That means Grealish is the player in possession going into the Community Shield against Manchester United, a rerun of the FA Cup final for which he was left on the bench throughout. The shirt is his to lose and that has long been Guardiola’s mantra.
It is an opportunity but not one that will knock for long. Despite the departure of Julian Alvarez, Grealish’s zone of the pitch looks congested. Oscar Bobb now appears ready, while the signing of Savinho is a direct threat. And, of course, there is also Jeremy Doku.
Challenge of Doku
It was the signing of the Belgian winger last summer that stole his place in the side, Guardiola seduced by Doku’s ability to open up defences with his dribbling. “Jeremy is special in the final third.” Grealish could not compete with that sheer pace on the left.
The statistics show that Doku is an outlier in dribbling terms, but it is worth pointing out that Grealish’s ball-carrying ability remains supreme. It is not always necessary to take on the opponent so directly if you have such close control and can evade them.
“The way that he could glide past someone was just a pleasure to watch every day,” recalls Clemence. “For natural ability, he is the best I have seen in my coaching career. Even in the Championship, I was surprised that he was not in the England squad.”
Adapting to Guardiola
It is a little ironic that Guardiola wants Grealish to recapture some of that verve given that there are those who credit the changes in the player’s game – both positive and negative – to the great coach. He has become a different player from the one City bought.
“Jack always wanted the ball but probably at times he would come too deep to get it,” says Clemence. “Sometimes you have got to trust your team-mates to find you.” That version of Grealish roamed free rather than being bound to his segment of the field.
And has a high-profile player ever transformed their decision-making on the pitch more drastically than Grealish? Brian Clough turned Kenny Burns from a striker into a title-winning defender. Others have adapted their game due to age and a loss of pace.
With Grealish, the starting positioning remains similar, the skills too, but his movement and distribution has fundamentally changed. A risk-taker in his youth, there is no safer user of the ball now, as evidenced by the stark contrast in his passing sonars.
Grealish has completely changed the type of passes that he plays at Man City
Eager to please, Grealish has listened, adapted. When Guardiola told him that he was performing a function for the team, providing expert ball retention out wide, he took it on board. “It is just a shame that everyone in the world now just loves stats,” he once said.
And yet, it is Guardiola who was citing the statistics following the recent game against Barcelona. “I know in controlling the ball he is good, but he made four or five shots.” Even he wants to see the aggression, the personality that persuaded City to pay £100m.
What next for Grealish?
As a result, this likeable lad now finds himself at a crossroads in his career. At 28, with a brilliant group of players around him, the opportunity remains. “Absolutely it depends on him,” says Guardiola. “All the players, it depends on them, not on my decisions.”
The door is ajar. Jack Grealish could yet force it open once more.