Jack Grealish: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola defends record signing’s form

Pep Guardiola has launched a defence of Jack Grealish, suggesting that it is his responsibility and that of the rest of his Manchester City squad to get the best out of the club’s record signing.

Grealish was substituted before the hour mark of Wednesday’s Champions League group stage win over Borussia Dortmund having struggled to make an impact and is yet to score in five appearances this season.

The 27-year-old has only six goals and four assists to his name since joining in a £100m move from Aston Villa last year, a transfer which made him the most expensive player in British football’s history.

Grealish has nevertheless been named in Gareth Southgate’s 28-man England squad for upcoming Nations League clashes against Italy and Germany, and is expected to be on the plane to Qatar in November for this winter’s World Cup.

Guardiola attributed Grealish’s form to an ankle injury which disrupted his start to the season but also defended his performance against Dortmund, and instead claimed his own team-mates had left him “isolated” by not taking up goal-scoring positions.

“He started really well, but had to stop for a problem in the ankle and we were lucky it was not worse,” the City manager said.

“Last game in the final third he was the only one up front who makes aggressive runs one against one, but to make assists he didn’t have his mates in the box, so we left him isolated. When he goes against the full-back, only Erling [Haaland] was there.

“[Ilkay] Gundo[gan] was not there, Kevin [De Bruyne] was not there and they should be there. In the first half especially with the ball we didn’t make any movements to help the players who had the ball and give him more possibilities to make it easier.”

Guardiola added: “I know him and I’m more than happy and delighted with what he’s doing. Now it’s just a question of time to get back a little bit his momentum that he had at the beginning of the season.”

Grealish’s lack of goals and assists for City has been a frequent criticism since his arrival in the summer of 2021 but Guardiola has always insisted there is more to his game, while he has not historically been a player of great attacking output.

The 27-year-old’s highest scoring season during his eight years as a Villa player was the 2019-20 campaign - the only season in which he has hit double figures in all competitions -  when he hit 10 goals to help keep his newly-promoted boyhood club survive relegation.

Even with England, his only goal in 23 caps was the fifth in a 5-0 win over minnows Andorra last year, but Grealish was this week included in Gareth Southgate’s 28-man squad for the forthcoming Nations League clashes against Italy and Germany.

“We didn’t sign for the incredible goals or assists at Aston Villa. It was another reason and when he played he did it,” Guardiola insisted. “He competes with top, top players as well and he knows it perfectly, but never complains about that.

“He’s such a nice guy and in the games when he didn’t play, he’s the first to help the team and in the training sessions he’s always there. I’m delighted with his behaviour and everything.

“I want to make goals and I want to make assists and he does too, but it’s not about that. It’s about his contribution without the ball and what he can produce for the other ones and the many, many things that he’s able to do.”

Asked what he is looking for from Grealish, Guardiola said: ““To understand us, and we can understand him and just to have the little bit of continuity I try to give him, because he deserves it.

“It’s to be what he is as a football player. All the time we ask them to be themselves, don’t think to be what the people expect you to be.

“Be yourself, as a person and especially as a football player, and this has to be your only concern, to try to get better today than yesterday, and tomorrow you have to be better than today. I’m not going to ask them to do something they cannot do, or don’t want to do.”