Do you love or hate how Jack Grealish plays soccer? Low socks. Giant calves. Floppy hair. Headband. A lot of fans of opposing English Premier league teams tend to get mad at Grealish, for a perceived thinking that he’s flopping when he’s fouled. In fact, he’s booed as soon as he gets the soccer ball at his feet.
Grealish is both easy to love and easy to hate, it seems. Oh, there’s that large transfer fee of $138 million, too. That’s pressure though on Grealish, right.
Credit to Pep Guardiola for standing by his player and supporting him when Grealish wasn’t performing up to expectations when first signed by Manchester City. Large salary. We’re talking about nearly $400,000 per week.
And there’s the Gucci deal with Grealish as a brand ambassador. Puma signature soccer cleats on his feet. Moreover, he wears tiny, child-sized shin pads for apparent comfort and ball control reasons – that attack attention in a way. He’s 28 years old, so in his prime but not young anymore in world football.
Fabrizio Romano related this quote from Jack Grealish about fans booing him: “I always wonder: why do the opposition fans boo me? My mum always asks about it as well! But I don’t actually know. At every away ground I go to, I get booed and I’m not entirely sure why. I just try to take it as a positive or compliment…”.
Do you like Jack Grealish’s style of play? It almost seems like fans are tired of his diving and dribbling style – the away fans certainly don’t. But I don’t think he dives. He just gets kicked often. He gets clipped, too. Even karate kicked. The trouble is that the fouling he endures can take on the idea that he goes down too easy.
Again though, Grealish needs to score goals like this for Manchester City. Here he whips in the ball to the far post when he played for Aston Villa. Watch Grealish’s magnificent strike that gives Villa the lead versus Manchester United. Is the reason he’s not getting these chances because he’s too predictable or is he just not taking the shot?
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior recently made a diving gesture towards Grealish after he went down in a Champions League match. He is essentially telling Grealish to stop diving.
Vinicius appeared to tell Jack Grealish to stop diving after this challenge in the first half 😳🌶️ pic.twitter.com/p7HKBfrPl5
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 17, 2024
However, for Manchester City fans, I think he’s going to have to produce more goals soon for them to stay happy with him. He is going to have to score from outside of the box so he can get more success inside the box. Defenders aren’t really afraid of his long range shooting ability.
When Grealish joined on as a Gucci ambassador in 2022, he kind of entered David Beckham territory, minus marrying one of the Spice Girls. The lights were bright on him right away. But he helped Manchester City win trophies and integrated into the team. In the locker room, Guardiola said there is only love for him.
Grealish said recently: “He [Pep Guardiola] has made me see the game differently. I know people say, ‘He doesn’t dribble as much now, he doesn’t run at defenders’, but I do. It’s just the team I’m in now is a little different to Villa, we wouldn’t really play against teams in a low block…”, this coming from a Sky Sports interview.
He also added: “My game is all about creativity and taking risks on the ball, whether that be dribbling at players or assisting or scoring goals,” Grealish explained. “I’m more of an off-the-cuff type of player.
Beckham had the Beckham cross. A signature play. What is Grealish’s signature play? Hold the ball. Dribble. Ball glued to foot. Draw fouls. If there is a grealish signature play it is more a low early cross on the ground that results in a tap in for a teammate.
If you watch Grealish though, of late, in particular when he comes on as a substitute, he acts like a sponge absorbing pressure for his team. He holds the soccer ball like a forward, but posting up in between the lines. He can also carry the ball forward and start attacks. I think his ability to maintain possession in tough areas of the pitch is super valuable.
Does Grealish need to whip in more long range crosses like Beckham? I don’t think that is Pep Guardiola’s style of play and what he wants from Grealish. However, Grealish can cross the ball and might need to do so late in the game if Manchester City are behind.
I would love to see Grealish score a big goal that puts Manchester City over the top to win the English Premier League in their final game versus West Ham United.
I think Jack Grealish is more loved than hated overall. He’s a unique player who runs with the ball at his foot like few others. In the end though, one’s love or hate for Grealish depends on if he’s scoring goals and if it’s your team!
