“I was going to City to score 30 goals, but …”

Last summer Manchester City made the largest investment in its history, paying £ 100m for Jack Grealish. The English international has been an important footballer for Pep Guardiola since his arrival, playing as a starter in 17 of the 19 games he has played to date. However, at a statistical level, the performance offered by the former Aston Villa star is not being as surprising as expected. Even Jack Grealish himself, in an interview with the program Football Focus from BBC, has stated that not even he is meeting his own expectations: “When I came here from Aston Villa I looked at my goals (7) and assists (10) from last season. So obviously I thought that by going to Manchester City, the best club in England, the best players, I was going to have 20 or 30 goal shares. But that hasn’t been the case at all – I’ve actually had problems with my goals and assists. “

Photo the Grealish

Shield / Flag M. City

And it is that the new star of the Citizen team has recognized that he feels the pressure due to the high price paid by the Manchester club for him. Especially when things are not going as well as expected. “Especially for the price I have, as soon as you don’t get goals and assists for a while, people start talking and doubting you. Now is when I have to trust my own ability and go from there, “said Grealish in the BBC. The English attacker barely adds 3 goals and 3 assists so far this 2021/2022 season, distributed between the Premier League and the Champions League. That is why, as a result of the problems with the goal he is having, training has become a fundamental part: “The day before, in training, I was doing some crosses and spikes, especially from the head. In fact I surprised myself, since I scored a few”. Although the latest performances have restored some confidence to the Manchester City player. “I failed one against Watford a few weeks ago, but getting to score (against Leeds United) and do it with a header, which is not given to me much, is perfect,” he acknowledged.

Praise for Pep

Despite the fact that the start of the season was not what was expected either by the club or by the player himself, Pep Guardiola has blind faith in Jack Grealish. Although the Spanish coach is still looking for a way to get the best version of the English footballer, he is already beginning to show what it is to be under the command of Pep Guardiola. “It’s incredible how many games he has won for us this season with his tactics.. The craziest thing he does is that he has a different game plan for each match. I know there are many coaches who like to follow the same game plan no matter what team they play against, but he is the opposite, “said Grealish.