Jack Grealish did not hold back as he opened up on his struggles at Manchester City after City’s crucial win over Chelsea.
Manchester City edged past Chelsea with a lone goal to keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal.
City defeated the Blues despite struggling to find their normal possessive and domineering bearing in the game.
Jack Grealish played a crucial role in the win, providing the assist that saw Algeria international Ryad Mahrez score the winner to move the defending champions five points close to Arsenal.
After the game, Jack Grealish elaborated on how he has struggled to adapt to Manchester City’s pattern and style of play.
Grealish joined City in the summer of 2021 for a British record £100million fee. He said he didn’t think it would be as difficult to adjust to life at the club after leaving his boyhood club Aston Villa.
He also spoke expressly on the differences between his time at Aston Villa, and his time now at Manchester City.
When asked by Sky Sport reporters what life is like at the club, he said life is quite different from what he was used to at Aston Villa.
At Villa, Grealish admitted having the freedom to play at any position he wants to play. Now at Manchester City, it is a different ball game entirely.
“Coming to City, I’d been at Villa my whole life and I’ve never had to change. I didn’t realise how hard it is to adapt to another team and another manager. When I came here, it was so much more difficult than I thought,” he said.
Jack Grealish said he had thought that joining a top team like Manchester City would enable him score more goals, but that has not been the case so far.
He added it has become extremely difficult because many teams sit back when they face Manchester City due to the quality of the team, and that was not the case at Aston Villa.
“It’s so much more difficult. A lot of teams do tend to sit in against us, which obviously wasn’t the case at Villa”, Grealish said.
“When asked about his role against Chelsea coming on as a substitute.
“You sit there on the bench, observing the game and seeing what Phil’s (Foden) doing in the position that I’d be in if I do come on.”
Jack Grealish added he has always wanted to start matches just as every player desires. Nevertheless, he maintained he is enjoying his stay at Manchester City since joining 18 months ago and is happy to work with Pep Guardiola.
Grealish and Mahrez were both brought on at the hour mark against Chelsea and combined to a devastating effect.
The England international’s cross from the left wing was inch-perfect for Mahrez who slid in at the far post to score the only goal of the game and give them the three points.
Jack Grealish also spoke about his relationship with Mahrez, saying he is so close to Riyad and we were warming up together before the game.
During the warm-up, Grealish disclosed he and Ryad were discussing the game before coming on.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Grealish’s body language after his game-changing contribution at Stamford Bridge.
He said Grealish’s body language is exceptional if he plays or doesn’t play.
“These types of guys always play good. He was really good defensively too,” he said.
The former Villa captain is lacking goals and assists for the Premier League champions.
Jack Grealish has scored just once for Manchester City this season but has been in good shape since the resumption of the league after the World Cup break. He has provided three assists in the Premier League so far.
Since joining Manchester City, Jack Grealish has just seven goals in 58 appearances for Manchester City. At Aston Villa, he had 32 goals in 213 appearances.
