Even as a Birmingham City fan I could not dislike Jack Grealish when he was at Aston Villa, thanks to his attacking swagger. He has taken his talent to a different level at Manchester City, but you can still see the boundless confidence that was evident from day one.
It has taken time for Grealish to find his feet after his £100m move from his boyhood club in 2021. Last season he was regularly neither in the starting lineup nor on the scoresheet, but that has changed and he will be expected to cause problems for Leicester on Saturday. It takes time to settle into any new job and when your manager is Pep Guardiola, who has some of the most intricate tactics in the world, it is even less straightforward.
Few City signings hit the ground running. Raheem Sterling did not reach double figures for Premier League goals until his third season, Rodri took time to adapt to the pace of English football, and Riyad Mahrez was far from a regular early on. All three, however, can be classified as successful buys.
Grealish has admitted it was a lot harder than he anticipated to learn the ways of Guardiola’s City. He had spent his whole career at Villa, coming through the academy and captaining a first team that revolved around him. The idea at Villa was to get the ball to Grealish and for him to create something. At City, he is another superstar cog in a ruthless machine. He had to work out how he fitted in and the rest of the team needed to learn his strengths and style of play.
Grealish is keeping Phil Foden, a phenomenal player, out of the City and England teams, which is a strong indicator of how he is doing. He has added more goals and assists this season and is at home at City. He looks stronger and his decision-making has improved.
Grealish needs that greater stamina because he has gone from Villa, where there is generally one game a week, to fighting for four trophies a season at City. But the biggest thing is that last season he was always hanging outside the box and now he is moving into better areas. I wanted him to get into the box more like Sterling would. Sterling scored his goals by becoming basically a second striker at City.
There can be few bigger boosts than Guardiola picking you. Guardiola leaves big players out; he said last week that Kyle Walker did not fit the system at the moment. Walker has been one of the most influential and consistent players of the Guardiola era, but he is willing to put him on the bench. I bet Grealish goes into team meetings knowing he is going to be in the starting lineup, whereas before he would have arrived wondering. He is exuding the confidence required to thrive at the highest level.
Erling Haaland, one of the Guardiola signings who has settled immediately, is a great ally for Grealish. The winger likes to cut in from the left, pass and go for the one-two. Having a proper No 9 is ideal for him, and something City rarely had last season. But the relationship Grealish has with all his teammates is obvious.
Guardiola is backing Grealish in the biggest matches and being rewarded. He had superb games in the 4-1 win over Liverpool this month, scoring the third, and February’s victory at Arsenal, and came off the bench at Chelsea to set up the winner for Mahrez in January.
From the start, Guardiola said City were investing in Grealish for the long-term and it was not a case of expecting him to fit in immediately. They gave him a six-year contract, knowing how good he could be and expecting him to stay for a sustained period.
Grealish is being more effective not just attacking, but also in his defensive work, especially his pressing. I previously thought that was one of his weaker attributes, but it is becoming more robust. Against Bayern Munich on Tuesday he hassled Dayot Upamecano and won the ball back high up the pitch for Haaland to set up Bernardo Silva’s goal and in the win over Liverpool he ran 70 yards to stop Mohamed Salah from making it 2-0.
Behind Grealish there has been greater consistency at left-back with Nathan Aké now playing there regularly. Grealish knowing what is behind him and being assured the full-back knows his role gives him greater confidence going forward, where he can make the most difference.
It is always great to see a fellow Brummie reach the top in any field. Grealish and I went to the same school, albeit a few years apart, sharing the same PE teacher, Mr Seickell, at St Peter’s in Solihull, which the tennis player Dan Evans and Manchester United defender Aoife Mannion also attended. They are role models and inspirations for the next generation and every city needs people such as this to look up to.
I am proud of where I am from, and I will always back a Brummie because I know how important that is. Grealish is rewarding his home city, Manchester City and England with his incredible form.
