10 | Jack Grealish - 2021/22 Performances

[mccity]

Yada yada yada, attacking player in first season under Pep.


We all know how this ends.

 

[shemnel]

Wonder if we'll see him more centrally as the season progresses, although I'd like to see him and Phil start together with license to swap and change as the game goes along.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Has to be said, he is not a striker!

But Jack looked a bit out of his depth today. I thought him and that young midfielder for Liverpool weren’t at the standard of the other players on the pitch. With the ball at his feet everything was too slow, too easy to read, not impactful enough, no link-up play, at one point he didn’t even understand what de Bruyne had done with the over-the-top ball he played out wide to Cancelo which Jack was disappointed with and threw his arms in the air because he wasn’t passed the ball. But de Bruyne’s pass was world class and caught Liverpool out and set up an attack, Jack needs to get on our top level of thinking as well as playing, this isn’t Aston Villa.

But he has been good at times this season and is getting used to everything like everyone has to under Pep, so it’s not a game I’m going to Labour over with him.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

The last three games would have been an eye opener for Jack , he wanted to join an elite level club and play in massive games and now he has to work out how to influence these games , not an easy step up from a mid table Villa team but i think he will relish the challenge and Pep will coach him to the required level.

 

[Bluesince1979]

Itll be xmas before we see him hit levels

 

[Tokyo32]

But before criticizing Jack, let's think a little bit -> what's his position...

So far Pep has played him either as LW or False9, but did he play that in Villa ? Nope

In an ideal situation, Grealish is a LCM or playmaker playing as a number 10 in 4-2-3-1 system, but as the later is too old now and only maybe Jose continues to play that, in Pep`s system he is LCM - no more, no less.

Grealish has amazing "ball retention" skills and can be our second Bernardo.. Actually I think that Bernardo-Grealish duo can be City`s xaviesta but let's not involve my dreams and hope here :D

So, in this formation - I think he will be very good

---------------------Rodri--------------------------
-----Bernardo------------------Grealish----------

So it's not about Jack and his quality, he isn't playing the position - where he does his best.
He is not a winger or a striker FFS, he is a midfielder and does that job pretty well :)

He played as a winger for Aston Villa most of the last two seasons though

 

[Long Slow Goodbye]

I thought Pep played him in the right position given the circumstances. Alternative was to waste Foden. I know who I’d back to score goals and skin fullbacks.

Foden should be the default left forward, and can become our biggest goal threat in the way is Salah is for Liverpool from the right. Grealish would be best suited to playing deeper with 3 ahead of him, and hopefully he’ll get the chance to establish himself there, but it might take KDB getting an injury to facilitate it.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

The last three games would have been an eye opener for Jack , he wanted to join an elite level club and play in massive games and now he has to work out how to influence these games , not an easy step up from a mid table Villa team but i think he will relish the challenge and Pep will coach him to the required level.

Indeed.

This last week he’s played in football matches at a level that he’s never experienced before. It’s alright saying he played well against Liverpool last season for Villa, but these top Prem title-challenge games are on another level altogether to normal Prem games where top sides play mid table teams. The top sides go through about four gears in the big games over and above what they do in normal games (same in the big CL games n’all).

He was quiet in the first half at Chelsea, much better second half, a proper danger but had poor end product apart from that great shot saved by Mendy.
He was nice to look at on the ball at Paris, while not really having any end product (although he got fuck all from the ref!). Also his lack of pace was there to see against their rapid right back.
He was impactless today.

But he’ll be a better player having played in all three games.

He was playing against Rotherham and Burton and lead his team to 13th in the Championship four years ago, and in the four subsequent years he got to a level to be deemed good enough to play for the best team in the country. If he takes that same stride forward again, he’ll end up a cracking player for us, there've been glimpses and even good all round games so far.

 

[Phil1]

I think one of the main reasons Pep wanted him so much was because of his versatility. Its no secret that he adores a player with a multitude of strengths. I think we are trying to figure each other out at the moment. He will eventually find his position and flourish.

 

[bluwes]

I don’t think he knows what’s hit him coming to City.