stonerblue
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Is that right?
And you're a football genius are you?
10 | Jack Grealish - 2021/22 Performances
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And you're a football genius are you?
stonerblue
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Err....?
Do you even read what’s been written? His analysis shows at the age of 26, Grealish has played a grand total of 12 games in central midfield.
He’s played most of his career where he is doing now, and a minority as a 10. A position we don’t play and we did. Grealish’s numbers wouldn’t be good enough to be our play maker and he’d be behind De Bruyne & Foden.
Not to mention Pep has played 433 for 90% of his managerial career which means no number 10..
The stats I posted also showed that in the 5 seasons before he joined us, he played 96 matches at AM and 57 at LW.
It's simply not true to say he's always been a left winger. It's where he's spent most of the past couple of seasons as a result of where Villa felt they could get the most out of him, but before that he mostly played centrally, with occasional matches on the left.
You're right, though, in that we don't play a 10/CAM. Pep knows that too. I trust he has a plan.
Agueroooo9320
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even if he started at LW at villa, he never was a traditional winger. If you ever watch him play there, he always vacates that position when villa has possession and then takes up a central position.
jimmygrimblesboots
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Ignoring the fee , Jack has been average at best , but certainly not 100% his fault , we play him as a left winger or a false nine , neither of which position he played at Villa , i've watched him play for Villa and take the game by the scruff of the neck and win games for them from the middle of the park
We simply didnt need Grealish , we have Foden and Sterling who contribute more on the left , and a few players who can poach goals as a false nine , this isnt having a go at Grealish , but Pep and the club f*cked up over the Kane deal and wasted so much time when everyone in football knows what a twat Levy is to deal with , it was a non starter.
Grealish was a vanity signing , England's golden boy , when we were crying out for a finisher / striker and couldnt get one of the right quality so Plan B was Jack.
Like a few other players who have signed for the club there was a marked inprovement after twelve months under Pep and Grealish certainly has the talent to do the same , we need to find his most effective positon in the team to unleash that talent , over to you Pep.
We simply didnt need Grealish , we have Foden and Sterling who contribute more on the left , and a few players who can poach goals as a false nine , this isnt having a go at Grealish , but Pep and the club f*cked up over the Kane deal and wasted so much time when everyone in football knows what a twat Levy is to deal with , it was a non starter.
Grealish was a vanity signing , England's golden boy , when we were crying out for a finisher / striker and couldnt get one of the right quality so Plan B was Jack.
Like a few other players who have signed for the club there was a marked inprovement after twelve months under Pep and Grealish certainly has the talent to do the same , we need to find his most effective positon in the team to unleash that talent , over to you Pep.
Stiff Little Wingers
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I get what you're saying and must admit I've been hoping for more stand out moments and goals etc. I'd rather wait till next season before making a proper judgement. Taking Bernardo, Cancelo, Gundogan (although he had a bad injury), Sane etc - it took all of them a season to show their best
What's interesting for me is what happens to our midfield next couple of seasons since I imagine Ilkay will probably leave and don't think KDB is going to be playing every game and perhaps Bernardo (sob) may also leave. So maybe we will have a revamped midfield in 2 years with both Phil and Jack as attacking midfielders?
Well, some did say Grealish was bought to replace the supposedly outgoing Bernardo, so it's not that far-fetched to think the middle of the park is where he will set up in the future.In an interview he gave when he joined us, he said he saw himself as an 8 or 10 capable of playing on either wing and willing to give the false 9 a go. He also said he'd spoken in depth with Pep about positions, and he seemed positive about that so I'm guessing Pep didn't tell him he wasn't going to get a chance to play in his preferred position.
And a couple of years ago he was making it clear that he saw himself as a midfielder:
Jack Grealish's comments on preferred position cast doubt on Man Utd move
Some sources claim the Aston Villa star has his eye on a move to Old Trafford but the 24-year-old may not be able to play where he wants at Old Traffordwww.mirror.co.uk
And before we bought him there were numerous sources suggesting Guardiola wanted to rotate him with Gundogan:
This article makes an interesting argument for adapting him into a 6. I don't think I agree with the conclusion, but the analysis of his strengths is worth a read.
https://onenil.medium.com/jack-grea...ve-a-midfield-maestro-once-again-137036bb96c2
When Ole wanted him at united, the plan was apparently to make him a right-winger:
Man United 'plan to use Grealish as a right winger'
Manchester United plan to use Jack Grealish as a right-sidedwww.sportsmole.co.uk
Transfermarkt stats show that for the 5 seasons before he joined us, he played multiple positions, but only in the past 2 seasons did he play more on the left than centrally (we also know that especially during those past two years, his role included a lot of freedom, including to drop deep and move infield).
16/17 positions:
View attachment 39601
17/18 positions:
View attachment 39597
18/19 positions:
View attachment 39598
19/20 positions:
View attachment 39599
20/21 positions:
View attachment 39600
Most of his time centrally was spent in an "attacking midfield" position which, giving how Villa tend to set up, would probably have included little defensive work.
And playing midfield for Villa (especially in the Championship, which some of these seasons were) is not the same as playing midfield for City. The roles of our twin 8s are quite specialised and require a detailed understanding of how the team plays and familiarity with the other players and the team's style.
But it's simply not true to say he's not a midfielder or has never played in the middle.
That said, I guess it depends what happens this coming window, because atm we are absolutely packed in centre midfield.
Norwegian_Blue
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The lad is a free-kick magnet
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