"It's not really their game" - Michael Owen explains why Jack Grealish is struggling at Manchester City
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes Jack Grealish is yet to reach his full potential at Manchester City. Grealish joined Pep Guardiola's side in a deal worth £100 million from Aston Villa this summer.
He has scored seven goals and provided twelve assists in 27 appearances for Aston Villa last season. The attacking midfielder also put in a number of impressive performances for England at Euro 2020 this summer prior to his move to Manchester City.
Grealish, however, has managed to score just two goals and provide three assists in 15 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City this season. Michael Owen believes the England international is struggling at Manchester City as the Cityzens style of play does not suit him.
Owen told BT Sport after Manchester City's 4-1 victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday:
"I'm a huge fan of Jack Grealish, full stop. I love him. I think he is brave and takes the ball under pressure. He is exceptional. He will be a success because he is a very good player playing in a very good team. But will he be as good as he could be in another team, maybe not. I just don't think he necessarily suits perfectly to Manchester City."
Owen added:
"I see Grealish as somebody, certainly at Villa, where he would take the ball from deep and be strong and he is confident and he will run 40/50 yards and earn a free-kick after being tugged back. They [Manchester City] want quick play and lots of passing. They don't want to get a free kick and chip it into the box onto the head of a load of 5ft 5in players. It's not really their game."
Manchester City will hope Jack Grealish can produce the goods on Saturday in their clash against arch-rivals Manchester United. Pep Guardiola's side will head into their game against the Red Devils on the back of a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.
Pep Guardiola on @JackGrealish: “His decisions are always good, played really good. His confidence, with a little more time, will be aggressive to take decisions to score. Always he has sense to create… He’s come for four/five years, this is just the beginning…” [via @ManCity]
Jack Grealish must be given time to settle at Manchester City
Manchester City fans will expect Jack Grealish to have a bigger impact on games after the club spent £100 million to sign him from Aston Villa this summer. The 26-year-old has shown glimpses of his ability this season but is yet to reach his full potential under Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City must give Jack Grealish time to adapt to Pep Guardiola's system and style of play. The midfielder spent eight seasons as a professional footballer with Aston Villa, a club that he led to an eleventh-place finish in the Premier League table last season.
Jack Grealish may not have set pulses racing at Manchester City yet, but there is no cause for concern...
Many of Guardiola's attacking signings - Mahrez, Sane, Bernardo - became devastatingly effective after a season under the #MCFC manager | @SamLee
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Grealish is currently playing for one of the best teams in Europe and is likely to be feeling the weight of expectations due to his transfer fee.