The 29-year-old has been challenged to "fight" for his place in the team at Etihad Stadium, but a fresh start is what he really needs
Txiki Begiristain described Jack Grealish as "one of the most exciting attacking players in world football" when unveiling Manchester City's record-breaking £100 million ($125m) signing in August 2021.
"I am certain that the fans are going to love seeing him in our team, he's an incredible talent," City's director of football added. "Pep [Guardiola] loves the way he plays, and we all feel he is an ideal fit for Manchester City. Our style and his style are a perfect match."
Grealish was certainly an "exciting" player to watch at Aston Villa. He registered 16 goal contributions in 26 Premier League appearances in his final season at Villa Park, wreaking havoc from the left flank with his unpredictable dribbling and penchant for defence-splitting passes. There were very few teams that could stop Grealish in full flow.
Unfortunately, we have yet to see that version of him at Etihad Stadium. Despite Begiristain's initial billing, Guardiola never really wanted Grealish to be the maverick he was at Villa. He was instead asked to rein in his creative instincts to become just another cog in the City winning machine.
As a consequence, the player that used to get fans off their seats whenever he received the ball is gone, replaced by one who always takes the easy option, seemingly scared of making a mistake. And now, three-and-a-half years on from his arrival in Manchester, Grealish finds himself at a career crossroads. Guardiola no longer appears to have use for the 29-year-old, who must push for a transfer to save his career as an England international.
AFPCompletely ineffective
Grealish was restricted to a six-minute cameo in City's latest Premier League outing, which saw the champions romp to a 4-1 home win over West Ham, courtesy of a Vladimir Coufal own goal, a trademark Erling Haaland brace, and a second-half strike from Phil Foden.
City are now 20 league games into the season, and Grealish has started only six of them. The former Villa star hasn't been helped by niggling fitness problems, but he seems to have dropped to the bottom of the attacking pecking order, with Guardiola favouring Savinho and Jeremy Doku on the left.
It's a sad situation that has been a long time coming for Grealish, who has not scored for City in any of his last 37 appearances, and has just three assists to his name since the start of last season – the same number Savinho managed in just 80 minutes on the pitch against West Ham. Grealish has been completely ineffective for far too long, and now he's paying the price.
AdvertisementGetty/GOAL'Savinho in better shape'
Savinho was also the architect of City's much-needed 2-0 win at Leicester City on December 29, as he scored the opener before teeing up Haaland to wrap up the three points. The Brazilian winger had a slow start to life at the Etihad after his £31m ($39m) summer switch from Troyes, who are part of the City Football Group, but is now showing the same end product he delivered consistently during his impressive loan spell at Girona in 2023-24.
It's difficult to see Grealish getting back into the team if Savinho maintains this form. Indeed, when asked whether the 20-year-old could give Grealish the push he needs to rediscover his best level, Guardiola told reporters on Saturday: "I fought a lot for him [Grealish], fought a lot to be here – to say ‘come on, do it again, do it again’. Does anyone think Savinho doesn’t deserve to play? No. He deserves [it]. That’s why I play him because he produces. As much as he looks at himself, he will see the competition and he has to compete, himself. Savinho is in better shape and everything than Jack and that’s why I played Savinho."
He added: "Two weeks ago, Jack was injured and he needs rhythm and to play, but players need training. I don’t have any doubt about the quality of Jack or any of these players. But they have to, right now, today at 3pm, be at your best."
Guardiola is not usually one for criticising his players in public. It was a shocking outburst that suggests Guardiola is at the end of his tether with Grealish, having seen the arm around the shoulder approach fail time and time again. The question is: does Grealish still have a burning desire to try and prove himself to City's meticulous and relentlessly demanding head coach?
AFP'Treble Jack' was overrated
"I want the Jack that won the treble. But I try to be honest with myself for that," Guardiola replied when pressed further on what he expects from Grealish.
There were no question marks over Grealish's commitment during City's historic 2022-23 campaign, as he registered a respectable 16 goal involvements in 50 appearances across all competitions. However, Grealish only found the net five times himself, and was more of a facilitator than a leading man.
Haaland stole most of the headlines for his remarkable scoring exploits after joining the club from Borussia Dortmund, but Riyad Mahrez, Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne all reached double figures for goals, with the Belgian playmaker also racking up a staggering total of 31 assists.
Grealish did an admirable job of recycling possession and winning fouls in dangerous areas, but only made a decisive impact sporadically, and that was in a City team sweeping away all comers at home and abroad. The statistics suggest that Grealish's performance hasn't declined all that much; in fact, he's actually creating more chances and attempting more shots per 90 minutes this term than he did during the treble season – according to .
But with City now struggling for consistency, Grealish's expected goals (xG) and dribble success rate have dropped. The quality around Grealish has dwindled, with Julian Alvarez and Mahrez sorely missed, and he's been unable to step up in a time of crisis.
AFPWasted prime years
The truth is, Grealish has never been the "ideal fit" for City. He needs freedom to express himself to truly thrive, which has never been on offer under Guardiola.
Grealish has won seven major trophies at the Etihad, including three Premier League titles and the Champions League, but hasn't ever looked like a £100m player. There is a sense that he has wasted the prime years of his career, and things will only get worse if he stays with City.
Former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has said as much, telling : "It’s at the stage now where Jack should probably be thinking about leaving the football club. I don’t think that we’ve seen the best version of Grealish at City, or the version that steps out onto the grass and enjoys himself. We’ve only seen snippets, but I think that Jack is essentially playing in a way that his manager demands of him. When I watch Jack play for England, it’s like he’s a different person. We know he’s got stacks of ability, and we know he can contribute a lot more."
