There was audible frustration from the stands when Jack Grealish did his usual pause, jink inside and pass back routine for a third time in the first half against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday evening.
The England international struggled against the wit of Dortmund’s backline, their defenders not falling for his free-kick-winning ploys. His night ended on 58 minutes when Pep Guardiola replaced him with Phil Foden in one of three changes following Jude Bellingham’s opener for Dortmund.
Like Grealish, Foden did not come through the ranks as a wide player. He guided England to Under-17 World Cup success from the centre of the park and made his Manchester City senior debut in midfield.
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Very soon, though, he was moulded into an attacking winger. Raheem Sterling - who would have been ideal for the first hour against Dortmund - set the bar for Foden and he has shown he is more than capable of taking on his mantle.
And now, Foden has set the bar for Grealish. The 22-year-old got the Dortmund defence running back to goal for the first time in the game and while he didn’t directly contribute to either goal in the 2-1 comeback, his influence was telling.
The German outfit knew who they were facing of course, Foden netting the winner in their quarter-final clash in April 2021 - which makes his display all the more impressive. Dortmund had never come up against Grealish but it didn’t take long for them to work him out.
Some level of criticism needs to be restrained given the £100m man is not a natural winger - but neither was Foden. In his half-hour showing, Foden jinked both inside and out, and carried the ball into dangerous areas.
The academy graduate’s quick style of play is what unlocks Champions League defences, whereas Grealish’s tendency to slow the ball down allows more time for defenders to group up on him.
Several times during the match he found himself going down dead ends, mostly of his own doing. Foden’s intricate, fast and powerful play is ultimately what stretched the Dortmund defence for the final part of the game.
Grealish failed to do this often enough and while he can knock this performance on the head as a bad day at the office, he might take notes from Foden on how to transition from an attacking midfielder into a wide danger man.
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