Jack Grealish has lift-off as England’s maverick gets his Manchester City career up and running
Grealish netted midway through the first half on his home debut as Man City thumped Norwich 5-0 at the Etihad
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Your support makes all the difference.Saturday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium spelled lift-off for Manchester City’s £100million man.
After a difficult first Premier League start for the club away at Tottenham, Jack Grealish opened his account for Pep Guardiola’s men as the champions thrashed Norwich 5-0 in front of a capacity crowd filled with adoration for their newest recruit.
A home debut can be a rather daunting prospect for some players, particularly when your new team have broken the British transfer record to bring you in.
And in the opening quarter of an hour, the weight of expectation was being met with a rather timid start from the former Aston Villa man. For a playmaker that we are so used to seeing square defenders up and take them on, Grealish was opting out of the duel and choosing the easy pass backwards instead.
Guardiola decided to change Grealish’s role in the team from the match against Spurs where he played on the left of a midfield three. Instead, the England international lined up on the left of the front trio - the position he made his own at Villa Park - as Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez both had to settle for a place on the bench.
Grealish hugged the touchline for almost the entire first 20 minutes and, despite receiving a lot of the ball, failed to really make any impact on the game. But all that changed midway through the first half when a welcome piece of good fortune fell his way.
Gabriel Jesus’ wicked cross found its way through and onto the thigh of an unaware Grealish at the back post and the ball squirmed over the line. It was scrappy and he didn’t know much about it, but that was not going to stop the City fans from bursting into rapturous celebrations.
The goal had a noticeable impact on Grealish’s confidence. Even for a player whose style is often described as arrogant - an accusation which can likely be put down to the nonchalant trot and lack of sizeable shin pads - he is clearly still someone who needs that goal to find his feet at a new club.
And boy did he find them. The following 25 minutes up until half time were led by the skill and charisma of Grealish. His teammates started looking for him at every opportunity and the magnetic energy he has to draw defenders’ attention opened up the space for Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres.
As the half grew on he began drifting inside to link the play to great effect. Then he should have had a second goal shortly before the break but through no fault of his own Torres failed to slide him in.
That star quality that Grealish has, the effect he has on fans, the roar which goes up when he traps the ball, the expectation that something is about to happen, that atmosphere began circling around the Etihad as the game wore on.
Let’s get it right, it didn’t always come off for him. Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons did a decent job of snuffing out his advances, particularly in the second half.
But it is that attitude, personality, x-factor which Grealish brings that is beginning to complement City’s slick style to great effect.
The 25-year-old has the talent and extroverted personality that could see him loved in the same way other City icons have been over the last decade - Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, David Silva to name just a few. Hell, he is already England’s most popular player and he only made his debut 11 months ago.
The appreciation the Man City fans already have for him was shown when he was taken off in the 75th minute and received a standing ovation from the crowd. That doesn’t always happen with big signings, it’s a sign the supporters are with him on this journey.
Tactically, it will be interesting to see how Guardiola moulds Grealish, whether he remains a part of the front three or if he is turned into a more all-action type midfielder. He certainly seems most comfortable coming in off the flank.
The position he wandered into before tucking away the goal from close range was reminiscent of Raheem Sterling’s evolution under Guardiola, a transition which has seen the ex-Liverpool man progress from a tricky winger to a 20-goal-a-season forward.
“To play for Pep and learn from him is going to be special and it’s something any top footballer would want,” Grealish said after arriving in Manchester. That statement will be put to the test once Guardiola is able to instill a little more work rate into him, something the Spaniard has forged a reputation on adding to a player’s game.
But whether he ends up a winger, a forward, a midfielder or anywhere else at all, Man City fans know it’s going to be an exciting ride. The Grealish hype train has well and truly got going. Next stop: Arsenal.
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