10 | Jack Grealish - 2022/23 Performances

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

I'm not at all sold on Grealish.

How we're set up to score lately? - get the ball to our left - Grealish over-dribbles - and then he switches to Mahrez on the right - who is probably covered one-on-one. Mahrez beats his cover almost always and delivers a killer cross or shot on goal.

Can't Grealish punish left-side defenders more - beating them more often?

Still - Pep seems to like Grealish - so maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Keeper!]

clear improvement but still trying to blast in a shot, over placement. Had loads of shots saved this season, and I think just a little more care and placement will turn some of those into goals.

He needs to be more instinctive in crossing and shooting, at the moment he makes it so obvious and easier to defend against.

 

[madloaf]

I can't express how important it is for our team to have 2 or 3 players that really give a shit. Passion & drive & heart on your sleeve stuff. We need those players to give the team and the crowd a boost. And he really has shown that he has this in abundance. He's getting better, his confidence is higher, he gives us control, he's chipped in with a goal or two - he's keeping Phil out of the team for a reason.

 

[kippax_blueboy]

I can't express how important it is for our team to have 2 or 3 players that really give a shit. Passion & drive & heart on your sleeve stuff. We need those players to give the team and the crowd a boost. And he really has shown that he has this in abundance. He's getting better, his confidence is higher, he gives us control, he's chipped in with a goal or two - he's keeping Phil out of the team for a reason.

He keeps Phil out of the team because Phil is a worse left winger than Jack. Jack is better now but still rarely gets to the byline, barely meets the defender, always uses his right foot and the defenders know. If he runs with the ball he mostly runs into trouble. If he takes a shot like he did yesterday it normally gets blocked or is an easy chance for the keeper. I want him to do well but I don't think he will ever be a top class winger. He is a number 10 but probably not a world class one. He does keep the ball well and that's what Pep likes about him. He rarely loses the balls and draws fouls. Yesterday two players always marked him when he had the ball creating space for others when he played the ball usually backwards or sideways.

 

[super_city_si]

He keeps Phil out of the team because Phil is a worse left winger than Jack. Jack is better now but still rarely gets to the byline, barely meets the defender, always uses his right foot and the defenders know. If he runs with the ball he mostly runs into trouble. If he takes a shot like he did yesterday it normally gets blocked or is an easy chance for the keeper. I want him to do well but I don't think he will ever be a top class winger. He is a number 10 but probably not a world class one. He does keep the ball well and that's what Pep likes about him. He rarely loses the balls and draws fouls. Yesterday two players always marked him when he had the ball creating space for others when he played the ball usually backwards or sideways.

He keeps phil out because phil is badly out of form and injured. A firing Foden is better than Grealish as left wing. Every time. jack has improved massively since the World Cup but Foden is a level above

 

[oldius]

He is a top player and we are lucky to have him. Paid a lot...so what.

 

[WallyA]

Haaland’s first goal today is the epitome of what Pep wants from Grealish and Mahrez - draw men to you and lay it back for somebody to whip the ball in. It worked a great in 2018/19 with Bernardo on the wing too.

The issue is, Mahrez has KDB to lay it off to and Grealish has…nobody who can whip in a left footed cross with as much danger so as a result his side always seems a little blunt unless he is aggressive and goes at his man.

I’ve done a 180 on him recently, though. I was getting bored of seeing him getting it and giving it backwards but the past month or so it’s felt like there’s a bit of purpose to him/it. Whether it’s because he’s mixed it up a few times so it’s not as samey for 90 minutes I don’t know. He just seems a lot more dangerous, more often when he gets it.

This is why I've always wanted Pep to play Grealish with Foden together, opposite footed players on the same side gives more unpredictably and adds more weapons.

The KdB to Mahrez connection or vice versa has actually been really good the last few years, and the left side has never had such a combination.

Foden going's to be molded into a midfielder into the future anyways, and they are both English, why not let them develop a connection and dominate the left side together?

They also could both naturally swap positions like KdB and Mahrez do as well pretty easily to mix things up.

 

[BlueMoonAcrossThePond]

Grealish seems at best OK. He's very replaceable IMO. Playing only because we don't have better atm.

 

[kippax_blueboy]

He keeps phil out because phil is badly out of form and injured. A firing Foden is better than Grealish as left wing. Every time. jack has improved massively since the World Cup but Foden is a level above

When has Phil been firing on the left.
False 9 yes, on the right yes. Not on the left.
He has never been great.

 

[applejuice]

I'm not at all sold on Grealish.

How we're set up to score lately? - get the ball to our left - Grealish over-dribbles - and then he switches to Mahrez on the right - who is probably covered one-on-one. Mahrez beats his cover almost always and delivers a killer cross or shot on goal.

Can't Grealish punish left-side defenders more - beating them more often?

Still - Pep seems to like Grealish - so maybe I'm missing something.

It is Pep's tactic.

Get overload on one side and do a quick switch to the other side. Then cross/shot into the box.

Halaand header was a classic execution of this tactic.