Pep Guardiola, take note! Jack Grealish must be allowed to be a ‘free spirit’ for Man City after shining in new role for England

“Honestly, it was probably one of the worst summers of my life because you can’t not see everything that’s happening in front of you,” Jack Grealish told ITV Sport after scoring in his first game for England since being left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad. “It was difficult, but it’s given me more resolve to bounce back.”

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    ‘Free spirit’

    Rice also got on the scoresheet against Ireland, and took most of the plaudits for running the game from deep. But Grealish was the home side’s chief tormentor in the final third.

    Ireland just couldn’t get a handle on the City star as he drifted across the frontline, showing off his technical prowess in tight areas while always looking to advance with quick passing combinations. Carsley’s decision to deploy Grealish centrally also allowed Anthony Gordon to give England more width on the left wing, which was sorely lacking at the Euros.

    The Three Lions were terrible to watch in Germany. They made it through to the final more by luck than judgement as they struggled to break down their opponents, with Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham both ineffective in dual No.10 roles. It’s frustrating to think that England’s outlook could have been so different had Grealish been given a seat on the plane. On this form, he is a potential game-changer against any opposition, we just haven’t really seen it since his British-record £100 million ($131m) move to City in 2021.

    “I think it’s really important for his confidence,” Gordon said after the Ireland game. “He’s a top player, I think everyone knows that, but I think that position really suits him where he’s that free spirit. It’s where he played at Aston Villa and I thought he was excellent.”

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  Mental toughness not the issue

  Grealish needs the same freedom to express himself at City. He’s only managed to record 14 goals and 18 assists in 127 games for Guardiola’s side to date, which are modest numbers for a player of his quality.

  City secured their record-breaking fourth Premier League title in 2023-24 without really needing Grealish, who only started 10 games. He saw his minutes reduced after the arrival of Jeremy Doku, and the summer addition of Brazilian ace Savinho has only increased competition on the flanks.

  In his second season at the Etihad Stadium, Grealish did play a key role in City’s treble success from the left. His ability to keep possession and draw fouls made him a Guardiola favourite, but he was still a shadow of the maverick that initially saw him become a household name at Villa.

  “I have to just try to use that as motivation going into this season and try to have the same mentality as I had two years ago,” Grealish said in the summer. “In my first season at City, I don’t think I performed as well as I could, and in the second season I played in a lot of the games and that was down to the first season. I had wanted to come back stronger and I certainly did that, so hopefully I can do that again.”

  Mental toughness is not the main thing holding Grealish back at City, though, and it never has been. He’s been stripped of his creativity to serve as a functional player for Guardiola, which is a huge shame. But it doesn’t have to be like that if the Spaniard takes a leaf out of Carsley’s book going forward.

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  More than a touchline-hugging facilitator

  At the moment, Kevin De Bruyne is still Manchester City’s first choice No.10, and rightly so. He’s started the season brilliantly, with his standout display coming in a 4-1 demolition of newly-promoted Ipswich Town, but he won’t continue to play every game unchallenged at 33.

  Foden and Bernardo Silva can also fill that position, but Grealish could emerge as the ideal successor for De Bruyne, who is being tipped to head to MLS or Saudi Arabia when his contract expires next summer. Just because he danced circles around a distinctly average Ireland side doesn’t mean Grealish is guaranteed to make the same impact for City, but he does at least deserve a chance in a new role.

  It just feels like such a waste for Grealish to remain little more than a touchline-hugging facilitator. He’s elusive and clever enough to evolve into City’s main provider. Grealish’s passing range is not far off the level of De Bruyne, and he’s actually a superior ball carrier to the Belgian.

  People have also forgotten that Grealish is also a very assured finisher with a natural eye for goal; the nonchalant manner in which he stroked the ball home against Ireland was a testament to that. The prospect of him working more closely with “best friend” Erling Haaland is a tantalising one, too, because it’s entirely possible they could develop the same kind of partnership that De Bruyne has enjoyed with the Norwegian.

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  Achieving perfect balance

  Grealish may not have lived up to his price tag at City, but he has become a better all-round player under Guardiola’s tutelage. He’s more thoughtful with his end product, has learned how to draw defenders out of position with intelligent runs in behind, and works harder defensively than he did at Villa.

  But in terms of pure penetration, the underlying statistics suggest he’s been subdued by Guardiola’s preferred system. According to ESPN, Grealish averaged 41 ball carries and 6.5 touches in the box per game in his final season at Villa Park, but only reached totals of 29 and 2.1 in those respective categories with City in 2023-24.

  Grealish also managed almost double the amount of touches in general play, 61 for Villa compared to just 39 for the Premier League champions. This reflects his reluctance to take on his man in one-on-one positions and determination to follow Guardiola’s strict instructions to hold his position on the left.

  At Villa, Grealish had the license to roam and showed for the ball constantly with one aim: to turn and drive towards goal. Now, his first instinct is to cut back inside and lay the ball off to a team-mate.

  The imagination has been coached out of Grealish, but he showed against Ireland that he hasn’t completely forgotten the more direct style that set him apart from his peers in the earlier stages of his career. There is a balance to be struck between the individualist he was at Villa and the reliable metronome City fans have become accustomed to, but it won’t be achieved if Grealish is forced to stay in his current role.

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  Playing with fear?

  Former City defender Micah Richards played with Grealish in his early days at Villa, and has no doubts over where on the pitch he causes the most damage. “Jack’s an extraordinary player, we know that. It’s difficult when you’re at a club like Man City and it’s full of stars and you’re not getting goals and assists,” Richards said in the latest episode of the Rest is Football podcast. “I think he feels more in the game as the number 10. And he doesn’t just stay in the number 10. He comes up, gets the ball deep, and the one thing I would say about Jack Grealish is he’s not afraid to lose the ball.”

  That assessment brings the main problem with Grealish’s current standing in the City team to the fore: it looks like he has been playing with a degree of fear under Guardiola. Although the Villa academy graduate is still composed on the ball, an acute awareness of the City manager’s demands dictates every choice he makes. Grealish doesn’t take any risks because he’s been told that is not his job.

  As a result, City fans are more excited when Doku or Savinho’s name is on the teamsheet ahead of Grealish. But he doesn’t really stand a chance when compared to those two pacey-natural wingers.

  It’s not Grealish’s fault that Guardiola hasn’t played to his real strengths up to now. For the last three seasons he’s worked tirelessly to prove his worth, sacrificing his uninhibited joy for the game in the process. Grealish got some of that back in his latest England outing, and Guardiola should now consider accommodating his needs, rather than the other way around.

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  What’s next?

  If nothing changes for Grealish, he would be wise to seriously consider leaving City next year. The former Villa talisman’s contract does not expire until 2027, but he’ll be pushing 31 by then and the prime years of his career will be behind him.

  Grealish is too good to accept his lot at the Etihad. Trophies are guaranteed at City, but he won’t find any personal fulfilment unless he is trusted to unleash the full breadth of his virtuosity and become an essential player like a De Bruyne or Haaland.

  Arsenal and Bayern Munich were both linked with Grealish in the summer, which shows he still has plenty of admirers at the highest level. He wouldn’t be short on suitors if he decided to call time on his City journey and seek a new challenge.

  With Foden set to return after illness and Ilkay Gundogan back at the club after a year at Barcelona, competition for places is fiercer than ever at City. Grealish does have plenty to offer if given the chance to play off Haaland, but he’s just spinning his wheels if he remains confined to the left flank, as evidenced by his industrious but unspectacular display in City’s 3-1 win at West Ham before the international break.

  The countdown to the 2026 World Cup has begun, and Grealish will only get a spot in the squad if he’s delivering week in, week out. There are plenty of clubs across Europe at which Grealish could do exactly that, but until Guardiola starts unbuckling his shackles at City, he will remain a supporting player instead of the superstar he was born to be.

  Source goal.com