10 | Jack Grealish - 2024/25

[Keeper!]

There are a good few others we can say have had worse seasons than Grealish who play at least a game per week. How does Kova who consistently makes mistakes like the one that led to Bellingham’s goal continue to get blessed with minutes? How does Gundo consistently fail to let runners get beyond him which leads to our defense being overrun and play double pivot every week? Forget training, these are performances in live matches that lead to goals and dropped points which don’t get punished but are instead rewarded with more minutes.

Pep can’t have that much faith in Jack since he’s misplaced most of it in our same old tired and overwhelmed midfield options. There’s a lineup where we can use Grealish’s abilities behind our young wide players, Marmoush and Haaland while adding energy to the midfield but unfortunately Pep doesn’t seem to want to tinker with that of all things.

You and me have no idea what goes on in training, Pep has not picked Grealish for a reason.

 

[Saddleworth2]

You and me have no idea what goes on in training, Pep has not picked Grealish for a reason.

But he did in one of our biggest game of the season.

 

[Keeper!]

But he did in one of our biggest game of the season.

Because Pep got a reaction against Orient, Grealish was fired up and grew into that game, Pep's man management is magnificent, he clearly feels he has to fire up Grealish to get the best out of him, Grealish is often too laid back, said many times, a fired up, angry Grealish is a superb player, sadly we don't see it enough.

 

[2bluejacko]

He makes such a difference to the team when he's on song. Some people still don't realize that while he might not be scoring lots of goals, he occupies defenders, which then creates more space for others. He had them on toast until he had to go off. Bringing on Foden for him in this game was a downgrade.

Is that the same Foden that ran at the defender and got the penalty ?

 

[GOULDYBOBS]

Is that the same Foden that ran at the defender and got the penalty ?

His only contribution IMO

 

[David White]

He has had a very poor season and some of Pep's comments sound like he has not trained well.

Pep has put a lot of faith into him (100M) he has done more than anyone at the club to help Grealish.

I think the issues are behind the scenes rather than on the pitch. Maybe he hasn’t trained well. He hasn’t played as well as he can I agree but I feel more comfortable when he’s on the pitch over a Doku for example.

I can’t agree though that pep has helped him or put faith in him. We paid 100m because he was a fucking good central midfielder. Then we played him out of position. I think that’s been a frustration for Jack. Look how good he was against forest. Why can’t Pep utilise him more in the middle? We’ve been overrun at will this season and he’s played there once and that was when we beat a team who are absolutely flying.

 

[oakiecokie]

Can only repeat myself, unfortunately.

I love Jack and always will but it's just one injury too many now.

This one was just an unfortunate injury and not dissimilar to the one that Nico suffered due to a player falling on top of him.
It was an injury that wasn`t connected to anything that Jack did on this occasion, so cut the lad a bit of slack in this instance.

 

[bondsman]

But he did in one of our biggest game of the season.

And until he was injured Grealish was excellent

 

[pbueno16]

I think the issues are behind the scenes rather than on the pitch. Maybe he hasn’t trained well. He hasn’t played as well as he can I agree but I feel more comfortable when he’s on the pitch over a Doku for example.

I can’t agree though that pep has helped him or put faith in him. We paid 100m because he was a fucking good central midfielder. Then we played him out of position. I think that’s been a frustration for Jack. Look how good he was against forest. Why can’t Pep utilise him more in the middle? We’ve been overrun at will this season and he’s played there once and that was when we beat a team who are absolutely flying.

Exactly. If City paid the fee Villa set for him, then play him in the position where his ability drove that value.

 

[Saddleworth2]

And until he was injured Grealish was excellent

yes he was. Maybe if he had been played a bit more and had proper match minutes under his belt he may have avoided injury. Who knows?

 

[youngbob]

This one was just an unfortunate injury and not dissimilar to the one that Nico suffered due to a player falling on top of him.
It was an injury that wasn`t connected to anything that Jack did on this occasion, so cut the lad a bit of slack in this instance.

Seemed like yet another groin strain to me.

If there's anyone who's cut Jack some slack on this forum then it's definitely me.

But don't think his body is suddenly going to stop letting him down like it has done the last 18 months.

 

[mackenzie]

I honestly believe that Jack isn't the most confident person.
Which sounds strange, considering everything we believe he has going for him.

His comments after the CL win were, for me anyway, indicative of a man who felt he got lucky. Very humble but also not really appreciating what he contributed.

Must have been incredibly difficult for him being the 100 Million Pound man, being surrounded by lads that had "done it before" re Prem and Cup wins and feeling like a much smaller fish in the pond.

Can well understand how he felt the difference in expectation re Villa and City, and also the instructions to change his game to fit us.

I feel for him, I really do.

 

[applejuice]

Because Pep got a reaction against Orient, Grealish was fired up and grew into that game, Pep's man management is magnificent, he clearly feels he has to fire up Grealish to get the best out of him, Grealish is often too laid back, said many times, a fired up, angry Grealish is a superb player, sadly we don't see it enough.

It is 2025. shall we look at science before talking about morals and spirits like marching to the River Somme. The lad is big build with a history of muscular issues and a medical history of serious kidney damage in his youth. Without proper game time management and building up the fitness he is almost guaranteed to break in such high intensity game. His last league start was way back before Christmas. And no one can count a league game vs 3rd tier a proper warm up.

It happened exactly the same last year in January and February.

And I never really understand the "angry" bit of comment either. The player was very angry last time he started vs Villa and got dropped ever since. Played in high intensity and success in his first string of starts this season and got suddenly dropped vs Arsenal as well.

Judging by what we saw week in week out on the pitch there are a number of names in this team jogging around with supper low work rate but still get preferable treatment and weekly game time but Grealish is none of those lazy ones. Are they "angry" enough in the lock room? Certainly not on the pitch!

Pep certainly has his rights to chop and drop the players. But if you plan to use one in the arguably the biggest match of the season you need to start fitness management property weeks ahead. At least no a full 90 2 days before the big game after virtually not played for a month. The coach team performed very poorly on managing team fitness.

 

[pbueno16]

Couple outlets saying the stoppage to check offsides for our first goal played a part in Jack’s injury. Not sure I contribute the injury to that pause entirely, but it’s not insignificant given the pace the game was being played at and how unfit Jack was going into the game.

Like Grealish, Akanji, Dias and Ake this season, injuries from poor fitness management by Pep is leaving us short of options.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Couple outlets saying the stoppage to check offsides for our first goal played a part in Jack’s injury. Not sure I contribute the injury to that pause entirely, but it’s not insignificant given the pace the game was being played at and how unfit Jack was going into the game.

Like Grealish, Akanji, Dias and Ake this season, injuries from poor fitness management by Pep is leaving us short of options.

Nah, he took a knock on the byline after about 10 mins that he was slow to get up from.

He was holding his hip/groin on and off until he went off.

Maybe the stoppage exacerbated it, but it wasn’t the cause.

 

[Gaz (FMwkdsoul)]

Nah, he took a knock on the byline after about 10 mins that he was slow to get up from.

He was holding his hip/groin on and off until he went off.

Maybe the stoppage exacerbated it, but it wasn’t the cause.

nit sure he was unfit going into the game either, been available for a month.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

nit sure he was unfit going into the game either, been available for a month.

Even if he was, which is unlikely, but unknown, the only way he was going to get fit was to play.

 

[Gaz (FMwkdsoul)]

Even if he was, which is unlikely, but unknown, the only way he was going to get fit was to play.

played 90 on sat as well. weird story

 

[pbueno16]

nit sure he was unfit going into the game either, been available for a month.

Seems like half the bench hasn’t been fit at any point this season. In Grealish’s case though, only playing less than 180 min in the span of a month and being thrown in to that game from the start was risky and somewhat irresponsible. Obviously we didn’t know we’d draw Madrid against Chelsea or Brugge, but can’t help but think he could’ve been played a little more frequently so something like Tuesday doesn’t happen when he’s inevitably called upon again.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

played 90 on sat as well. weird story

All about keeping the narrative up.