What was said?
Former [team 14] captain [player 6971111] said on Talksport, “We’ll try and give Jack the benefit of the doubt.”
“We were talking about his age earlier; he’s what 26 – 27, now.
“We’re thinking maybe he should have gone to City and maybe adapted a bit quicker, but sometimes it can be difficult.
“He’s gone in and not really had the run of games; he had one or two injuries earlier in the season, he would have been disappointed even in the last game being left out against his old club Aston Villa, but they got over the line.
“You’d fully expect Jack to have adapted more to the demands of Man City and of Pep (Guardiola). I think Pep certainly would have been intense with him, and maybe Jack wasn’t quite used to that.
“We’ve seen him being left out of big games for City, and Gareth ( [coach 474589] ) has done the same with England.
“The penny has to drop with Jack; if you want to be a real top player, you’ve got to step up to the plate a bit more, and the manager’s got to have a bit of trust with him.
“Again, fine lines, with Jack, an attacking player, we saw Jack in the [team 3468] game; he had one or two chances.
“But this will define a player, these moments, can you put the ball in the back of the net and get your team into the final? And that’s where Jack has just come up short, but I wouldn’t be writing him off just yet.”
Graeme Souness disagreed with Roy Keane
Former [team 8] legend Graeme Souness said, “I’m not sure, I think Jack is 26 – 27 in September, 27, not 21 – 27.
“This is the way I was educated, ‘too many touches son’, if you’re taking too many touches you’re not seeing the picture quick enough I think that would be Jack’s story.
“The most fouled player in the league, two consecutive years when he was at Villa, that again is not a good sign for me.
“I’ll put it another way, he’s not a quick learner, all the top players are quick learners, Jack’s had a year and for me he’s not improved.”
Can Jack Grealish make a strong return next season?
[player 1116] made a record-breaking move to [team 9] after having a couple of excellent seasons in the Premier League. [coach 455361] brought the midfielder to City in a move worth 100 million pounds.
Of course, given the money involved and the player’s reputation, there was always going to be some pressure on him. The pressure the fans put on Grealish was maybe a bit too much. The player had a poor first season despite winning the [league 8].
In his last season for [team 15], he scored 6 goals and provided 10 assists in the Premier League 2020/21. However, the following season with City, he registered just 3 goals and 3 assists the whole season.
Jack Grealish is arguably the best dribbler in the league, but his effectiveness in that area was also disappointing. He completed 1.5 dribbles per game last season compared to 2.5 dribbles per game in 2020/21 for Aston Villa.
Pep Guardiola’s style of play requires players to release the ball quicker. He wants his players to play quicker with lesser touches on the ball. Grealish is a good passer of the ball, but that is not his natural game.
Grealish is quite similar to [player 971] in how they run with the ball at their feet. The Algerian also had a poor first season under Pep at City. However, gradually Mahrez learned and adapted his game and is now one of City’s most important players.
We could see a similar improvement with Grealish as well. Not only Mahrez and Grealish but a lot of City singings took some time to settle in. [player 160956], [player 186910], and [player 96353] are some of the most famous examples.
Grealish is highly talented, has super potential, and is only 26. Next season will be interesting. He will have to perform well with the [league 732] coming in November. Also, with increasing competition at City, Grealish will have to make out of the opportunities he gets. Otherwise, he could also lose his place on the [team 18645] side.
Author: Devashish Akolekar
