10 | Jack Grealish - 2023/24

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Some of the post on the last few pages is absolutely embarrasing to read.

Lack of respect about one of the man that bring the treble from some of our so called fans.

Not really, you know. The treble was the treble. It was great, but it was last season. Nobody — not Kev himself — can live off the capital of that. I'm sure that Pep will have told them that. Pep himself won the Champions League twice but he wasn't keen to talk about it. It was the journalists who pushed him to talk about it. The past is the past.
By the way, I'm not one of the ones particularly criticising Jack. Jack does what he does. He looked brilliant with Villa because he was the undisputed star of the team. Here, he's a good player among players who are all of them either good, or very good. Doku does something different. I'm glad we've got both to call on. We'll need them.

 

[Kamaro011]

Not really, you know. The treble was the treble. It was great, but it was last season. Nobody — not Kev himself — can live off the capital of that. I'm sure that Pep will have told them that. Pep himself won the Champions League twice but he wasn't keen to talk about it. It was the journalists who pushed him to talk about it. The past is the past.
By the way, I'm not one of the ones particularly criticising Jack. Jack does what he does. He looked brilliant with Villa because he was the undisputed star of the team. Here, he's a good player among players who are all of them either good, or very good. Doku does something different. I'm glad we've got both to call on. We'll need them.

I'm not against criticize Grealish but some of us seem have personal grudge against him no matter how much he play even if that said match is good.

 

[dhruvblue]

the man that bring the treble

What a shameful statement and insulting to other players who were just as key or more key than Grealish in winning treble. Kev Rodri Stones Haaland Gundo Bernardo Dias Walker and others as a unit were just as key but if someone reads the thread the impression is that without Grealish we wouldn't have won anything and no one else contributed anything of worth

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

What a shameful statement and insulting to other players who were just as key or more key than Grealish in winning treble. Kev Rodri Stones Haaland Gundo Bernardo Dias Walker and others as a unit were just as key but if someone reads the thread the impression is that without Grealish we wouldn't have won anything and no one else contributed anything of worth

He put “one of the man” tbf (yeah, I know, his English isn’t great…)

 

[Dialog]

What a shameful statement and insulting to other players who were just as key or more key than Grealish in winning treble. Kev Rodri Stones Haaland Gundo Bernardo Dias Walker and others as a unit were just as key but if someone reads the thread the impression is that without Grealish we wouldn't have won anything and no one else contributed anything of worth

Please do not forget to mention our two defenders who were heroic and defendeded like never before, AKE and when he went injured Akanji stepped in immensely!!!

 

[city warrior]

I have seen there are some posts mentioning people treat Grealish and other players differently. And it is true, but that always happens. Both transfer fee and wages make Grealish one of, if not, the most expensive player for City (he is the 3rd highest wage after all). But there are 3 important aspects besides that:

1. Grealish has been playing with City 22 months (not counting world cup and summer breaks). He has been excellent for 7 months (mid-October to mid-April of last year). That's like 33% of the time he's been excellent. The rest he has been just ok, sometimes even underwhelming. Compare that to Alvarez or Haaland (to say a new player). Both have been excellent most of the time. And let's not even bring people like KDB, Bernardo, Rodri or Dias who all have been exceptional for the last 3 seasons. If Dias is having a poor start of the season (which he is), you know that is the exception, and we all know he will come back to his normal level because he has shown what his level is for a looong time. But with Grealish, we don't know: were those 7 months his real level or an exception? Doubting him and criticizing him is more logical that any of those guys.

2.Highest ceiling. Let's say Rodri plays awful for the next month or that when KDB comes back from injury he is terrible for 2 months. They would keep being starters, Grealish would not, why? Because the highest level of KDB and Rodri might be the best level we have in our squad (and probably in the world), and everyone knows how much of a difference their highest level can produce for us, so you keep giving them minutes to recover their form. The benefit is way above of those 1-2 months of subpar level. Can we say the same for Grealish? No, his best level with us (those 7 months) and the level from Doku right now are not that different (I would still have that Grealish as a starter, but the difference is really small). Why would Pep risk 1-2 months of subpar level when he has a player that is doing great, and the other player at his highest level is not that much better than present Doku? Logically, Grealish has less minutes to show he is regaining form.

3. The future. When Doku improves his decision making, and both him and the players understand where he will pass and cross the ball, I think that's it for Grealish as a starter (sure Doku could start on the right, but then you have to sit one of KDB, Bernardo, Foden, or even Alvarez). The projection of Doku's level if he learns what he has to is just higher than those 7 months from Grealish. Right now, Doku is beating the fullback and getting into dangerous zones 8/10 times. Imagine if he chooses correctly 5/6 of those 8 moments. That is just too good to make the slightly more control and better defensive skills that Grealish brings to the table. So again, do you sacrifice the minutes of a young player even knowing that his highest ceiling is higher than the best Grealish has shown with us? I would not.

 

[Dialog]

I have seen there are some posts mentioning people treat Grealish and other players differently. And it is true, but that always happens. Both transfer fee and wages make Grealish one of, if not, the most expensive player for City (he is the 3rd highest wage after all). But there are 3 important aspects besides that:

1. Grealish has been playing with City 22 months (not counting world cup and summer breaks). He has been excellent for 7 months (mid-October to mid-April of last year). That's like 33% of the time he's been excellent. The rest he has been just ok, sometimes even underwhelming. Compare that to Alvarez or Haaland (to say a new player). Both have been excellent most of the time. And let's not even bring people like KDB, Bernardo, Rodri or Dias who all have been exceptional for the last 3 seasons. If Dias is having a poor start of the season (which he is), you know that is the exception, and we all know he will come back to his normal level because he has shown what his level is for a looong time. But with Grealish, we don't know: were those 7 months his real level or an exception? Doubting him and criticizing him is more logical that any of those guys.

2.Highest ceiling. Let's say Rodri plays awful for the next month or that when KDB comes back from injury he is terrible for 2 months. They would keep being starters, Grealish would not, why? Because the highest level of KDB and Rodri might be the best level we have in our squad (and probably in the world), and everyone knows how much of a difference their highest level can produce for us, so you keep giving them minutes to recover their form. The benefit is way above of those 1-2 months of subpar level. Can we say the same for Grealish? No, his best level with us (those 7 months) and the level from Doku right now are not that different (I would still have that Grealish as a starter, but the difference is really small). Why would Pep risk 1-2 months of subpar level when he has a player that is doing great, and the other player at his highest level is not that much better than present Doku? Logically, Grealish has less minutes to show he is regaining form.

He may have scored before the World Cup, but I am not sure where the 7 months came from, I think you should try 3.5Months Post World cup. Jan - early April. By mid April, he was already out of steam. Mid April to June he was back to being like he was, when he arrived here. In the 3.5 months post world cup, he had improved but nothing to the level of our best players or world class level.

Congrats to him for clocking 35 chances created for an English player, even though none of them led to nothing, no assist, no goal. As you have stated, the best level for different players is not the same, in those months, it was his best level whilst playing in a City shirt. If he had truly clocked 7months as you say, no matter how BULLSHIT the Ballon d'Or list is, he would have at least featured in the top 20 or 30, given the fact we won the TREBLE. He did not even feature and this is the player whose fans claim "WON US the TREBLE". Would he not at least feature, even in the 30th spot for "WINNING US THE TREBLE" according to his fans?.

 

[Dialog]

3. The future. When Doku improves his decision making, and both him and the players understand where he will pass and cross the ball, I think that's it for Grealish as a starter

Doku has improved his defensive capabilities. He is causing havoc to defenders offensively. The fact that he is been here for less than half a season, at age 21 and already his learning at this rapid rate, he is headed to being a world class player and probably would end up being the best in his position. So I fully agree, Grealish will be a non-starter because Doku is immense, what more once his improved is all-round play.

 

[Damanino]

For Doku KDB being back will be a gift, another Belgian and KDb can properly set him up with some nice balls.
I even think we will see Doku on the right more maybe once KDB back.

For Grealish, he needs to improve his form and stay fit. be more creative around the box, try to beat defenders, try to cross, get into the box, give nightmare to the fullback.

 

[Lauz9888]

His goal today should have been the winner.

And he was robbed of the opportunity to try to score another.