10 | Jack Grealish - 2021/22 Performances

[citizen_maine]

I’ve no idea. Are you seriously telling me that Grealish is carrying his weight in terms of influencing the games? He hasn’t to date offered a single telling goal or assist in over 2000 minutes of football. I’ve asked this question in the post match thread, if Liverpool pip us to the title and the UCL, will Pep still be right in persisting with a player with next to no goal threat in a key position?

If Liverpool do pip us it’s most likely that they have 5 incredibly dangerous and affective forwards. We have 2 at most 3.

If we pip them, it’s due to a brilliant level
of consistency and tactics.

I don’t think Grealish is a bad player, far from it. I just don’t get him for us. Pep is undoubtedly the best coach in the World, but he has been desperate to sign Maguire & Sanchez. So, there’s no doubting he has a blind spot.

But, if that
brilliant level
of consistency and tactics
includes picking Grealish...

 

[samuelyeboah]

people talking about players who know to keep the ball realize we've almost conceded today from grealish losing the ball unnecessarily from overdribbling near our own half

 

[oldius]

Part of a great team that won again. Well done to him and to the others that earned us another 3 points.

 

[Radiohead1981]

I’ve no idea. Are you seriously telling me that Grealish is carrying his weight in terms of influencing the games? He hasn’t to date offered a single telling goal or assist in over 2000 minutes of football. I’ve asked this question in the post match thread, if Liverpool pip us to the title and the UCL, will Pep still be right in persisting with a player with next to no goal threat in a key position?

If Liverpool do pip us it’s most likely that they have 5 incredibly dangerous and affective forwards. We have 2 at most 3.

If we pip them, it’s due to a brilliant level
of consistency and tactics.

I don’t think Grealish is a bad player, far from it. I just don’t get him for us. Pep is undoubtedly the best coach in the World, but he has been desperate to sign Maguire & Sanchez. So, there’s no doubting he has a blind spot.

He has a bind spot as well in insisting on playing foden as a false 9.

 

[schfc6]

But, if that
brilliant level
of consistency and tactics
includes picking Grealish...

Our best run of form came without him
though.. Where we closed the gap, went clear and surmounted a huge GD gap.

We are a brilliant team, we carried a terrible Sterling for months. We can carry players. No one is saying Grealish is a duffer, but he’s simply not putting up numbers.

He’s scored against Peterborough, against Leipzig when we scored 6, Leeds where we scored 7, Norwich we scored 5.

Every other attacking player has won is a game this season. He hasn’t. Even Rodri has won us a game.

 

[schfc6]

He has a bind spot as well in insisting on playing foden as a false 9.

He has to, as Grealish is abysmal there. At the end of last season, Foden was arguably our most important player. He’s been shunted for Grealish.

 

[Radiohead1981]

He has to, as Grealish is abysmal there. At the end of last season, Foden was arguably our most important player. He’s been shunted for Grealish.

Well do you not think for the long term Pep needs to buy a proper 9 instead of playing foden there ?.

 

[schfc6]

Well do you not think for the long term Pep needs to buy a proper 9 instead of playing foden there ?.

I personally would want a flexible forward to play in all 3 positions. Don’t think we suit a 9. But a proper 9 would score loads.

 

[Radiohead1981]

I personally would want a flexible forward to play in all 3 positions. Don’t think we suit a 9. But a proper 9 would score loads.

A proper 9 would score loads . But it wouldn't suit City. What!

 

[schfc6]

A proper 9 would score loads . But it wouldn't suit City. What!

Ronaldo scores lots, but the team are worse for it.. If our forward left was returning Mahrez, Salah numbers, we wouldn’t be considering a striker.

 

[wattle]

Why doesn't he then ?.

Because we have Kev, gunda and Bernie

 

[Radiohead1981]

Because we have Kev, gunda and Bernie

If you had a proper nine like Harry Kane . Liverpool wouldn't be breathing down your necks.

 

[bluealf]

If you had a proper nine like Harry Kane . Liverpool wouldn't be breathing down your necks.

You meant we and our really didn't you?

Didn't you?

 

[Agueroooo9320]

I am less worried about grealish and more worried about pep and how he is using him and others. when I saw where he put the players on the field makes no sense. seeing how much joy sterling was having in the wide areas why not use foden in the wide area as well? gundo and KDB were the best finishers so why not put them in the false 9? grealish's best skill is caring with the ball and making space for others so why not put him in the middle instead. out attack would have been far better today. things like these make no sense from pep and why I am still not confident in winning the CL

 

[Radiohead1981]

I am less worried about grealish and more worried about pep and how he is using him and others. when I saw where he put the players on the field makes no sense. seeing how much joy sterling was having in the wide areas why not use foden in the wide area as well? gundo and KDB were the best finishers so why not put them in the false 9? grealish's best skill is caring with the ball and making space for others so why not put him in the middle instead. out attack would have been far better today. things like these make no sense from pep and why I am still not confident in winning the CL

It would be really interesting to see Grealish in midfield . But pep must not trust him defensively.

 

[Agueroooo9320]

Who is pep going to drop from midfield to play grealish and foden there.

he needs to drop no one today he could have easily played grealish in the middle and moved KDB or gundo to the middle who are better finishers

 

[Agueroooo9320]

It would be really interesting to see Grealish in midfield . But pep must not trust him defensively.

this is the only thing that makes sense. Jack is still learning the defensive side of the game this year. hopefully he plays more in the middle next year.

 

[freshie]

You meant we and our really didn't you?

Didn't you?

The mask has slipped!

 

[B\connellblue]

If he suddenly find his mojo and starts scoring and assisting from here until the end of the season than he could yet be a great buy, up to now to say he's been disappointing would be an understatement. he could start by bagging a few against the fucking dippers.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Anonymous once more. Ferran Torres seemingly passed on his invisible man costume to Grealish before he left. He's a passenger and we are entering a period where we cannot have any passengers at all. Jesus, whilst not having his shooting boots on looked far sharper than Grealish in his limited time on the pitch, we had mahrez on the bench too, both should be comfortably ahead of him.

How good he may or may not be next season is of no relevance to us right now. There's trophies on the line now, multiple trophies infact and he isn't currently anywhere close to being at the level required to help us win them. Needs to find himself on the bench for at least the next 4 games if we are to come through them in a good situation.

If you're in the front 3, you have to be doing your fair share of numbers as the bare minimum. every other player is doing so and in some cases much more. Grealish is the huge outlier and he's providing nothing for the side that others couldn't do whilst also chipping in with goals and assists. Saying he isn't a goalscorer means nothing, sterling's worst attribute is his finishing, yet he's been banging in 20-30 goals a season from the same position. Mahrez has always been a providing winger rather than a goalscoring one, he's banging in 20+ this season, gundogan isn't a goalscoring midfield yet put in lampard numbers last season. our team doesn't have natural goalscorers but everybody scores goals in this side if they're doing what's asked of them in their role.

I don't know why so many keep banging on about him playing in midfield, he's never played there in his career for any length of time, his skillset is almost the exact opposite of what Pep wants in there, the 8s need to have a quick mind and move the ball quickly with minimal touches until we get towards the final third, even when players carry it like Bernardo, they carry it quickly and release it quickly, Grealish doesn't, he draws people in inviting challenges, not only does that pose the risk of losing it but it surrenders the positional advantage we've just worked the last dozen passes for. He takes too many touches and dribbles too much to do that role, he would lose the ball too much in dangerous areas as witnessed when he lost the ball and gave Burnley their best chance of the game. That's the exact reason why he isn't playing in this current version of our midfield. Not to mention his work rate is some way off being acceptable to play there. Even ignoring all of that, we've got 3 players who are all significantly better options already and foden is surely a better bet as the next in line after those. The only way Grealish fits anywhere that isn't left midfield is if we play with a solo 10 behind a striker, that would mean a drastic change of formation which seems very unlikely and they'd be kdb, gundo, Bernardo, foden and possibly a few others all looking to play there too if we did.

I'm going to very clearly stress that this part isnt his fault, I'm not attributing blame to him in any way for this but the reality is, with him in the team, Fodens not in his most effective position so not only is Grealish not pulling his weight, we don't get the best Foden either. Only one is down to him but right now, we are a worse team on two fronts with Grealish in the side.