Jamie O’Hara claims Jack Grealish needs to radically change his game if he is to thrive at Manchester City.
Following his £100million move from Aston Villa, Grealish endured an underwhelming first campaign at The Etihad - albeit one that ended with a Premier League title. His second season hasn’t got off to the best start either, but he did find the first time during their 3-0 win at Wolves last time out.
But the 27-year-old has faced criticism for his on-field displays, forcing Pep Guardiola to come out and defend the club’s record signing. And former midfielder-turned-pundit O’Hara thinks the “one-dimensional” Grealish is some way away from where he needs to be.
“Jack Grealish has looked miles off it,” O’Hara told Grosvenor Sport. “He’s not good enough for Manchester City on this form.
“I like Jack, I think he’s England’s golden boy, he was brilliant at Aston Villa in an average team, where he could get the ball, carry the ball and win free-kicks…but it’s a different level at Manchester City.
“The way he is playing at the moment, I think he’s one-dimensional and he needs to change his game. He needs to have a bit more belief in himself, take the £100 million price tag off his back.
“He needs to think, I’m going to get the ball, I’m going to carry it, go round players, if I give it away and I get dragged off after 55 minutes, so be it.”
One area of Grealish’s game which has come under focus is the way in which he appears to take far fewer risks than he did during his time at Villa Park. O’Hara thinks he needs to change that quickly, if he is to return to his best form.
He added: “You’re better off being yourself in a game and walking off the pitch afterwards thinking, I’ve done me today. That’s better than walking off the pitch after being dragged off by Pep Guardiola once again and thinking, ‘I kept it simple, I kept passing it five yards to Kevin De Bruyne.’”
Guardiola has already addressed the discourse surrounding his statistical output since arriving in Manchester, claiming he was signed for a lot more than simply his goal contributions.
“We didn’t sign for the incredible goals or assists at Aston Villa. It was another reason and when he played he did it.” Guardiola explained.
“I want [him] to make goals and assists and he does too. But it’s not about that, it’s about his contribution without the ball and what he can produce for the other ones.”
And on criticism from outside, the City boss added: “Always I say to them: ‘You know exactly how you played, what we were looking for – what was the plan of the game, if it works or didn’t work. So you don’t have to listen to what people say, whether you played good or bad. You know and every one of us knows if you did your best on this specific day.’”
