How Jack Grealish from Manchester City earned an England recall

Rob Dawson, Correspondent | Sep 6, 2024 at 04:30 AM ETPep Guardiola had one key message for Jack Grealish upon his return to Manchester City this summer after having been left off England’s Euro 2024 squad. Grealish was taken aback at first when his exclusion came as an unexpected shock; both to himself and to the brand of mayonnaise which had featured him prominently in their summer advertising campaign; yet Guardiola quickly turned it around into something positive. “Sometimes you need something to motivate and push you,” Guardiola stated when responding to questions regarding then England manager Gareth Southgate’s decision. Grealish may well feel some benefit from missing the tournament in Germany; City will certainly reap any potential advantages as a result. Grealish has often faced suggestions he needs to prove something, most recently as he prepared for Aston Villa’s return to Premier League play this year. He faced similar doubts after City had spent PS100 million to make him the most expensive British footballer ever in 2021; then more questions after an underwhelming first season at Etihad Stadium about whether he could thrive under Guardiola remained. To prepare himself for another difficult campaign at City, however, Granish took proactive measures such as using Juventus training facilities while on holiday to ensure he returned in peak physical shape to Manchester City. He declined the option of an extended break to return early to City Football Academy (CFA) headquarters; during their preseason tour through America he even talked about “proving people wrong. Guardiola was highly impressed by Grealish’s training efforts in America and had it not been for an injury incurred just days prior to Wembley trip he would likely have started against Manchester United and Chelsea as City kicked off their Premier League season.” Guardiola expressed his enthusiasm when asked by reporters about Grealish’s summer. “I have loved every session: his commitment and aggression with the ball will do all the rest; hopefully his quality can carry him until season’s end – that will be Grealish’s challenge!” By his own admission, last season was far from ideal for Roberto Firmino due to an assortment of injuries and lack of confidence issues. While he did perform admirably during extended runs in December and April, Guardiola spent long spells keeping him at a distance and considered others far more important for selection decisions than himself. City coach Pep Guardiola prizes consistency above all else and once someone drops off it can be extremely hard to regain traction. Jack Grealish recently made it back into England’s squad after missing out at Euro 2016; regardless of his up and down time at Manchester City he remains determined to prove doubters wrong and prove their doubters wrong. Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty ImagesEarlier this month at Manchester Opera House, Phil Foden was honored as PFA Players’ Player of the Year 2023-24. Foden had made strides toward winning City the treble last season; however, during City’s push towards that feat in March after surgery to remove his appendix sidelined him for much of the campaign and prevented him from returning for either FA Cup or Champions League finals. Grealish was chosen instead, appearing at the Opera House that evening alongside Cole Palmer. England playmaker Danny Welbeck received Young Player of the Year. Presented his award by Pep Guardiola, Welbeck noted his success was in part driven by moving to Chelsea due to lack of playing time at City. Ironically, had Grealish played less prominently during their Treble year at Manchester City, Palmer may have received additional opportunities at Etihad to remain and stay put; had that happened, there would not have been the same incredible debut season at Chelsea or space available to Grealish at Euro 2016. As Foden and Palmer have shown, one year is long in football. Grealish was back in City’s team last weekend for their 3-1 victory against West Ham United and has earned himself an England recall under interim manager Lee Carsley ahead of this month’s UEFA Nations League games against Republic of Ireland and Finland. Don’t miss our daily coverage on ESPN+ as Dan Thomas hosts Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and other experts to bring you up-to-the minute highlights and discuss major storylines affecting soccer around the globe! Tune in now (U.S. only).
Foden and Palmer won both award at once – Foden won with 19 goals and eight assists while Palmer recorded 22 goals and 11 assists – making Foden one of only a few Premier League players to ever achieve such success in terms of PFA awards. Grealish has never scored more than eight Premier League goals in one season — for Villa this term — which frustrates him as too often the quality of a performance is judged solely on numbers alone. “The way the game has progressed can be frustrating because, even after playing well, not getting goals or assists may leave people dissatisfied, thinking ‘Oh he didn’t do this or that,'” Grealish lamented to ESPN in April. “[Grealish’s stats are] up for discussion; what remains uncertain, however, is whether Guardiola is indeed the ideal manager to maximize Grealish’s maverick talent.” At Villa, Grealish was widely seen as their best attacking player; free to roam wherever he wanted while popping up in pockets of space and forcing defenders out of their comfort zones. City offers more structure; Guardiola prefers attacking channels over specific players; that means Grealish often finds himself isolated on the left flank. At Villa last season, Grealish averaged 40.9 ball carries, 60.8 touches, and 6.5 touches in opposition box a game on average. Even during his most productive year at City – 2022-23 – his numbers in all these areas had declined; they even further diminished in this past season. In 2023-24, his per-game averages were 29 ball carries, 39 touches and 2.1 touches in the opposition box – figures which will likely displease Granish who often notes his importance has declined over the course of games played over recent seasons. Grealish must remain fit, while also working hard on improving his game. With Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, Savinho and Foden all competing with him for first-team opportunities at City, his role will not alter in the near future. Grealish now has an opportunity to seize his opportunities more fully and make use of every available one he is given, following Julian Alvarez’s departure for Atletico Madrid as starting player, as Oscar Bobb will likely remain sidelined due to injury for some time and pushing Grealish back into contention for more regular game action. At first, he enjoyed an advantage from having an extended preseason; giving him an edge against players returning from international tournaments. But, following an underwhelming campaign that resulted in his exclusion from Euros qualifying tournament, questions once more surrounded his play; not for the first time, however, his critics doubts remain and so it remains up to him to prove them wrong and prove them all wrong.