Jack Grealish has arguably been Manchester City’s best player in 2023 and his impact for Pep Guardiola’s side is starting to translate into vital goals and assists
Jack Grealish is finally proving Manchester City were right to splash the cash on him 18 months ago.
When Etihad team-mate Ilkay Gundogan shifted the ball into Grealish’s path on Wednesday night, the Emirates faithful grew silent. With one rasping swipe of his right leg, the energy, optimism and, quite possibly, Arsenal’s title hopes, dissipated.
Since he became the first ever £100m British player, Grealish has brought the odd flash of brilliance, his titanic calves, and his charming and refreshingly authentic post-match interviews. In the last few weeks, he has brought something far more important – impact, and lots of it.
On May 7, he will celebrate the nine year anniversary of his Premier League debut for Aston Villa against, of all teams, Manchester City. The almost naive fearlessness in his game is what made him such a dangerous and exciting player.
He has always been able to wriggle past opponents, drive at opposition defences and has perfected the ability to protect the ball and win the occasional foul when options or space has been denied. When Dean Smith assembled his Aston Villa around Grealish, the 27-year-old amassed six goals and 12 assists in 26 Premier League appearances in his final season.
Under Pep Guardiola, his adaptation from being the main centrepiece to one of the trimmings has been long and arduous. But things look to have fallen into place.
He served up the winning assist against Chelsea, made two goals against Leeds United, and opened the scoring against Manchester United – albeit in a match City went on to lose. But these moments all pale into significance compared to his strike against Arsenal.
Grealish is having the same impact as Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne from the left flank. He is no longer hugging the sidelines, cutting inside and recycling the ball to one of City’s midfielders.
He is darting into the box, receiving the ball in-between the lines, and getting onto the end of crosses. The goal against Arsenal conjured images of Raheem Sterling arriving late into the box from the left flank, before nestling an effort into the bottom corner.
Credit must go to Guardiola for his relentless defence of Grealish in the press conferences and interviews and for the obvious development and improvement in his game. It appears to be coming together at just the right time which is good news for the Citizens and for England. For Arsenal, nothing could be worse!
SOURCE: dailystar.co.uk
