For some time now Jack Grealish has been linked with the Premier League champions, Manchester City. For many, Grealish will give City the required edge to win the Champions League, but reports from Fabrizio Romano suggest a transfer is close.
Jack Grealish’s Role at Manchester City
Grealish As The False Nine?
We have seen Pep Guardiola utilise a false nine player in his formation when he lacked a striker. He utilised a lot of players in that role including Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and even teenage sensation Phil Foden.
The tactic seems to have worked well for City, as they had a very successful campaign, to say the least. If Jack Grealish does decide to join Manchester City, he can be utilised in this role with a lot of success.
His ball-carrying skills, coupled with his eye for an opening make him a very good option for Pep Guardiola’s rotation. That is even if Harry Kane comes to the Etihad.
Grealish On the Left Wing?
We have seen him being deployed on the left wing for Aston Villa. He has excelled in that position, not only creating several chances but also scoring goals. We saw the amount of destruction he can cause in the game against Liverpool last season when Aston Villa stunned the then Premier League champions 7-2.
His dribbling and constant running at defenders, something Gareth Southgate utilised a lot at the European Championships for England, causing the defenders to panic. This is one of his biggest plus points when he plays on the wing and is also the reason for the Aston Villa captain being the most fouled player in the league.
But Manchester City already has a plethora of options on the wing, including Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, who is rumoured to be leaving. Hence the chances of Grealish being deployed here are low.
As An Attacking Midfielder?
This seems to be working well for the Englishman as he has become an excellent chance creator. He averages 6.18 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes last season, even though he made only 26 appearances in the Premier League. This was one of the highest not only in England but in all of Europe.
Now that he gets to play with his role model (De Bruyne), possibly even get mentored by him, it will be a dream come true for him. Watching Grealish play in a role that David Silva played a couple of seasons back will be an absolute treat to watch. Like Silva, Grealish is a brilliant dribbler and can overlap and work with forwards.
No matter what role Jack Grealish plays, if he does to Manchester City he is bound to succeed. Under probably one of the best coaches in modern football, his obvious talent is going to shine brighter than ever.
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