Not so long ago, as Jack Grealish was pirouetting past his man for England, you couldn’t get away from constant comparisons with the maverick himself Paul Gascoigne.
This was a player like no other on these shores, with the skillset to dazzle and enthral in equal measure. Then, when he signed for Manchester City, under a coach who relishes being a nonconformist, Grealish could take his game, and his new club, to the next level.
As yet, however, and it is still very early days, the bewilderment from those bulging calves has remained well and truly curtailed. City eventually got the job done, beating an impressive Club Brugge side by a very flattering 4-1 at the Etihad to leave themselves needing just a point from their final two Champions League group matches to reach the knockout stages.
Even so, they weren’t their usual unrelenting and unforgiving selves in their performance. Something was missing. That something was their British record signing.
After one of those headache-inducing light shows – very much a modern football phenomenon – to welcome the teams out onto the pitch, City assumed their usual position of total dominance even earlier than usual at the Etihad.
Fans taking their seats were able to carry on their conversations about whether or not they had started their Christmas shopping safe in the knowledge that every time they looked up, City would still have the ball.
The only surprise is that it took 10 minutes for City to create a clear-cut chance. Moments after Joao Cancelo had lofted an effort onto the post, the accelerator remained jammed to the floor, as the ball came straight back, Cancelo squared for Andreas-Iniesta-cum-Uwe Rosler – Phil Foden – to tap in a poacher’s goal.
Grealish toiled away, but it just was not coming off. It was not for want of trying. There were plenty of dribbles attempted, but he kept choosing to go left when he should have gone right, and vice versa.
Further back, the cracks, as they have at several junctures this season, started to appear, with Bruges coming right back into it and, after a sustained spell of pressure, they levelled through a John Stones own goal.
In a competition Pep Guardiola is so desperate to win, despite what he always says about the Premier League being his main focus, City’s defensive frailties in Europe must be a worry to the Catalan. Stones’ unfortunate own goal is the seventh goal City have conceded in this season’s competition – two more than they conceded in the entirety of last term’s journey to the final.
In a plot twist Jed Mercurio would not even dare pen, Bruges were now the better team, against the side who had put them to the sword to the tune of five goals, on their own patch, two weeks ago. Charles de Ketelaere span when afforded far too much time on the edge of the area before forcing a fine save from Ederson in the City goal as Bruges looked the most likely to score again before the interval.
The rogue script continued to be played out after the interval, with De Ketelaere wasting a glorious chance to give his side the lead, plucking the ball out of the air like Dennis Bergkamp against Argentina, with the finish not quite of the same calibre.
The rangy forward knew that was his side’s moment. When he returned his gaze from the heavens, the Etihad was celebrating Riyad Mahrez putting the hosts in front once again. The difference between the great and the good in the space of 29 seconds.
City only pulled away, in truth, when Grealish went off. Raheem Sterling, the former Aston Villa man’s replacement, added a third to put a seal on the success, posing more of a threat within minutes of entering the fray than Grealish did all match, before Gabriel Jesus got a late fourth to really flatter the home side.
Such a start to life in Manchester for Grealish should not be too concerning for City fans. He was never signed as a player who needed to come in an have any huge transformative effect – he was just another unblemished piece of dining silver to add to the polished set. Things will change, however, if there are no signs of improvement in the coming months.
Watching him trudge off, a frustrated figure, you got the feeling you had watched an NBA star who couldn’t stop hitting the rim from the free-throw line, or a top order batsman whose forward drives would just not stop finding a leading edge.
City have started quite well and are doing just enough to get where they need to be at home and abroad. As the season rumbles on, however, they will need more. More to get the better of Liverpool and Chelsea come May, and more to finally add Ol’ Big Ears to the trophy collection.
Grealish can get away with finding his feet for now. Soon enough, though, and City will need him to start to live up to the hype.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3ELbxee
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