Since moving to Man City, Jack Grealish has had a stellar first two seasons but his career has stalled since last year's campaign with injuries and a serious decline in form. One of the factors that has caused the English star's lack of consistency is that Pep Guardiola has not really unleashed the former Aston Villa player's full potential.
During his time at Villa, Jack Grealish was known for his dribbling and creativity. His magical runs always made opposing defences nervous. However, the 29-year-old striker has been forced into a different role at Man City. He has become a “cog” in Pep’s possession-based system, where individual creativity is less encouraged.
Juanma Lillo, Pep Guardiola’s assistant, has spoken about the loss of “freaks” in modern football, saying that coaches’ focus on tactics has stifled the daring of players. These words seem to accurately reflect Grealish’s situation, as he possesses natural talent but is held back by rigid tactics.
In the 2022-2023 season, Jack Grealish was an important part of Man City's treble-winning journey. However, this season, injuries, age and lack of confidence have made him no longer himself. In the last 35 matches, the star born in 1995 has not scored any goals and has only had 2 assists in the past 18 months.
In the Champions League defeat to Juventus, Grealish was tested in a central midfield role. Although there were some positive signs, he has not really shone. However, with Kevin De Bruyne not fully recovered and Phil Foden in poor form, continuing to use Grealish in the center may be a reasonable choice.
Man City are struggling with a series of 8 losses in the last 11 matches. The Etihad team has not only lost its sharpness but also lacked surprise in its playing style. To escape the crisis, Pep Guardiola needs to break the rigidity and give players with high variability like Jack Grealish more space to show off.
At Aston Villa, the English striker scored 8 goals from breakthrough dribbles in his last 2 seasons. However, since joining Man City, he has not done that once. The limitations in Pep's tactics are causing Grealish to lose his killer instinct.
This weekend, Man City face Aston Villa, the team Grealish once symbolized. This could be an opportunity for the Citizens' captain to look back and reflect on how to exploit the talent of the 29-year-old star. If released, Grealish could not only bring a breakthrough but also restore the faith of the fans.
Man City don’t need a “safe” Grealish playing on the wing, passing the ball back and forth. They need someone who is willing to take risks, ready to dribble, create breakthroughs and make opponents wary. That is also the reason why the Etihad team’s leadership decided to spend 100 million pounds to recruit Grealish from Aston Villa.
Unleashing Grealish could be the piece that gets Man City through this difficult period and back on track. Pep Guardiola should find a way to combine tactics with creative freedom to get the England star back to his true self as a football artist.
