10 | Jack Grealish - 2021/22 Performances

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Lauz9888 said:
I'm sure this won't change any minds, but am sharing it just for visibility and understanding.

Jack carries the ball into the box at a rate that no-one else can get anywhere near. He's also right up with the very best in the league in terms of the number of open play shots created by his actions (feel free to query the person providing these stats on what the criteria are for this). I've seen similar graphs for previous years and he's always out on his own like that.

Click to expand...

Aaand, here's another set of metrics just for fun.



City midfielders/wingers who give the ball away less than Jack: Rodri (who gives the ball away the least of everyone who qualifies as a midfielder or winger in the league) by a lot. Gundogan and Bernardo by a little. Placing him in a zone highlighted earlier in that twitter thread as "safe midfielders" (almost everyone in that zone who doesn't play for City is some form of CDM, which I think speaks a lot about how we're playing this season).

Midfielders/wingers in the Premier League who are more direct (i.e. with a higher ratio of progressive actions to touch) than Jack: absolutely no-one anywhere near him.

His rate of defensive actions is low, as many here have noticed - I think he can improve that but will defer to Pep on how vital it is considering the pressure-relieving impact of what else he's doing.

So this, combined with the data from my previous post, means that we have a winger/forward/attacking midfielder (however you want to describe him or wherever you think he plays best) who:
  • Carries the ball into the box way more than anyone else in the league, and it's not even close
  • Is more direct (has more progressive actions per touch) than anyone else in the league, and it's not even close
  • Is right up there with the best in the league in terms of the amount of open play shots his actions lead to
  • Is in the top 10 players in the league for the amount of forward passes he receives
  • Gives the ball away at a rate roughly equivalent to the league's best CDMs
He's an outlet. Even in a team that has a lot of the ball and spends a lot of time in the opponent's half, where Grealish has less space to run into than he's used to (because of congested defences in front of him and his role not allowing him to drop as deep as he used to for Villa), he's contributing at insanely elite levels to us keeping the ball and moving it up the pitch.

And this is in the first half of his first season with a club and manager that notoriously take players months or even years to fully adjust to, in a season where his time playing in this side has been potentially limited due to niggling injuries and a demanding international schedule (and, yeah - disciplinary action), and during which he has at times looked uncertain, hesitant, overly safe and lacking in confidence.

How much you value these metrics is up to you. But modern football clubs monitor stats like this in great detail, and Pep and his team will know and value this contribution, and this combination of attributes that no-one else has to the extent he does.

I look at Jack on the pitch and think I see a load of ways he could improve. The club will see them too, way better than I can, and will absolutely be working with him for those improvements. But he's going to keep getting plenty of playing time and Pep's backing because he's doing this stuff that's contributing to how we dominate matches.
 
Lauz9888 said:
Aaand, here's another set of metrics just for fun.



City midfielders/wingers who give the ball away less than Jack: Rodri (who gives the ball away the least of everyone who qualifies as a midfielder or winger in the league) by a lot. Gundogan and Bernardo by a little. Placing him in a zone highlighted earlier in that twitter thread as "safe midfielders" (almost everyone in that zone who doesn't play for City is some form of CDM, which I think speaks a lot about how we're playing this season).

Midfielders/wingers in the Premier League who are more direct (i.e. with a higher ratio of progressive actions to touch) than Jack: absolutely no-one anywhere near him.

His rate of defensive actions is low, as many here have noticed - I think he can improve that but will defer to Pep on how vital it is considering the pressure-relieving impact of what else he's doing.

So this, combined with the data from my previous post, means that we have a winger/forward/attacking midfielder (however you want to describe him or wherever you think he plays best) who:
  • Carries the ball into the box way more than anyone else in the league, and it's not even close
  • Is more direct (has more progressive actions per touch) than anyone else in the league, and it's not even close
  • Is right up there with the best in the league in terms of the amount of open play shots his actions lead to
  • Is in the top 10 players in the league for the amount of forward passes he receives
  • Gives the ball away at a rate roughly equivalent to the league's best CDMs
He's an outlet. Even in a team that has a lot of the ball and spends a lot of time in the opponent's half, where Grealish has less space to run into than he's used to (because of congested defences in front of him and his role not allowing him to drop as deep as he used to for Villa), he's contributing at insanely elite levels to us keeping the ball and moving it up the pitch.

And this is in the first half of his first season with a club and manager that notoriously take players months or even years to fully adjust to, in a season where his time playing in this side has been potentially limited due to niggling injuries and a demanding international schedule (and, yeah - disciplinary action), and during which he has at times looked uncertain, hesitant, overly safe and lacking in confidence.

How much you value these metrics is up to you. But modern football clubs monitor stats like this in great detail, and Pep and his team will know and value this contribution, and this combination of attributes that no-one else has to the extent he does.

I look at Jack on the pitch and think I see a load of ways he could improve. The club will see them too, way better than I can, and will absolutely be working with him for those improvements. But he's going to keep getting plenty of playing time and Pep's backing because he's doing this stuff that's contributing to how we dominate matches.
Click to expand...

He's an amazing player for getting the ball up the pitch. He's also got a real creative knack, but he's not found it yet, but it'll come.

But it's that ability to move the ball forwards. It's completely unglamorous, but it makes a difference.
 
I'd like to see Grealish start when we have Zin/Ake playing at LB. He can offer creativity and ball carrying ability on that side that we don't have when Cancelo is at RB or not playing. He has a unique profile when compared to almost anyone in the league.
 
Lauz9888 said:
Aaand, here's another set of metrics just for fun.



City midfielders/wingers who give the ball away less than Jack: Rodri (who gives the ball away the least of everyone who qualifies as a midfielder or winger in the league) by a lot. Gundogan and Bernardo by a little. Placing him in a zone highlighted earlier in that twitter thread as "safe midfielders" (almost everyone in that zone who doesn't play for City is some form of CDM, which I think speaks a lot about how we're playing this season).

Midfielders/wingers in the Premier League who are more direct (i.e. with a higher ratio of progressive actions to touch) than Jack: absolutely no-one anywhere near him.

His rate of defensive actions is low, as many here have noticed - I think he can improve that but will defer to Pep on how vital it is considering the pressure-relieving impact of what else he's doing.

So this, combined with the data from my previous post, means that we have a winger/forward/attacking midfielder (however you want to describe him or wherever you think he plays best) who:
  • Carries the ball into the box way more than anyone else in the league, and it's not even close
  • Is more direct (has more progressive actions per touch) than anyone else in the league, and it's not even close
  • Is right up there with the best in the league in terms of the amount of open play shots his actions lead to
  • Is in the top 10 players in the league for the amount of forward passes he receives
  • Gives the ball away at a rate roughly equivalent to the league's best CDMs
He's an outlet. Even in a team that has a lot of the ball and spends a lot of time in the opponent's half, where Grealish has less space to run into than he's used to (because of congested defences in front of him and his role not allowing him to drop as deep as he used to for Villa), he's contributing at insanely elite levels to us keeping the ball and moving it up the pitch.

And this is in the first half of his first season with a club and manager that notoriously take players months or even years to fully adjust to, in a season where his time playing in this side has been potentially limited due to niggling injuries and a demanding international schedule (and, yeah - disciplinary action), and during which he has at times looked uncertain, hesitant, overly safe and lacking in confidence.

How much you value these metrics is up to you. But modern football clubs monitor stats like this in great detail, and Pep and his team will know and value this contribution, and this combination of attributes that no-one else has to the extent he does.

I look at Jack on the pitch and think I see a load of ways he could improve. The club will see them too, way better than I can, and will absolutely be working with him for those improvements. But he's going to keep getting plenty of playing time and Pep's backing because he's doing this stuff that's contributing to how we dominate matches.
Click to expand...

good post
 
If he doesn't start soon , Media will target us again. Remember Grealish is their next English Hero dubbed as next David Beckham
 
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