The head coach of the Three Lions of England, Gareth Southgate has noted that Jack Grealish of Manchester City has to improve the technical aspect of his game.
Jack Grealish, the most expensive English player in the history of football, impressed most of his critics when he replaced Mason Mount of Chelsea in the 72nd minute of the Nations League match between England and Germany on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.
His introduction into the game which England was losing 1-0 changed everything for the Three Lions of England. Grealish was instrumental in helping England to win a penalty which Harry Kane converted in the 88th minute to force the game to end in a 1-1 draw.
After the match, many English pundits began to urge coach Gareth Southgate to make Jack Grealish a starter in the team instead of Mason mount who is currently not at his best.
Recall that Grealish has been very inconsistent after his brilliance at Aston Villa forced Manchester City to pay an English record transfer fee of £100 million for the services of the 26-year-old left-winger.
Since then, Grealish has made 39 appearances in all competitions, mostly from the bench. He managed to score 6 goals and provide four assists which are below the expectations of coach Pep Guardiola of City.
Despite such a disappointing season, Grealish ended the 2021-2022 season with a Premier League title and maintained his spot in the English squad.
But he might not always be that lucky and might not be a starter in the Three Lions if he does not improve the tactical aspect of his game as coach Gareth Southgate pointed out after England’s 1-1 draw with Germany on Tuesday.
After the game, reporters asked coach Gareth Southgate if he sees Grealish as a starter or an impact sub, the coach said: “He can do both. If we didn’t trust him we wouldn’t put him on the pitch with 20 minutes to go in the belief he can make a difference.
“At the start of the game the challenge for the wide players was to attack, defend and to try and score goals – high tactical level and you’ve got to be spot on – and that’s an area Jack can get better at. What he did do was carry the ball as the game opened up with a little bit more space and opportunity. The impact both he and Jarrod Bowen had was really important in those attacking areas. There is a good challenge there among those players but we’ve got to keep pushing them.”
While on the general performance of his team against Germany, Southgate added: “I was pleased with the level of performance. This type of fixture challenges everything; technical, tactical, physical, and psychological, and players had to give everything to get a result. In the first half, we were OK but the quality of our passing wasn’t at the level it needed to be. In the second half, we were passive in that period when we conceded but the response was fantastic.
“The quality of our attacking play, we created quality chances and deserved something from the game. That’s a huge credit to the players in showing that mentality not to give in and to keep pushing.
“It’s an important sign for when you are in a team – we’ve got seven or eight players still in there that got to a World Cup semi-final. That’s important as they put their bodies on the line and nights like this, you have to do that to get a result.”
🗣️ "The way [Kane] led the line was exceptional."
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 8, 2022
🗣️ 'Jack makes a difference, but can improve tactically.'
Gareth Southgate praises Harry Kane and Jack Grealish after a 1-1 draw in Germany. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/upYhO6oISv
