Wherever he plays, though, he likes to drift out to the left flank and looks to get on the ball in space on that side of the pitch. Grealish usually played on the left of Villa’s front three, though there were also occasions that he started in central midfield or as their number 10. There may be times when he appears to go down slightly too easily, but he also gets himself into positions where defenders have to take evasive action more than any other player in the top flight. Incredibly, he broke the previous record with nine games of the season remaining. In 2019/20, Grealish set a new record for being fouled the most times of any player in a Premier League season, winning 167 free-kicks at a rate of nearly five per game. Grealish is naturally slightly off balance when he does this, and he has become a master of winning free-kicks in these situations, drawing a nudge or a clip from his opponent. That touch takes his path back towards goal, in a direction that means if he can get his body across the defender he is suddenly the wrong side of his opponent, who will often have to resort to committing a foul. He moves the ball to his left, just out of reach of his opponent, before quickly straightening up with his next touch. He is clearly stronger with his right foot, so opponents try to show him on to his weaker left, but Grealish has improved the detail of his dribbling when moving on to his left – usually the outside because he tends to play on the left. He waits for the opportune moment to quickly change direction and eliminate his direct opponent by bursting past them before delivering a pass or shooting at goal. Sometimes it can seem as if he is moving too slowly and allowing opponents to recover into good defensive positions, but he does so to take advantage of his change of pace.

He is one of the best dribblers in the Premier League, and he has a low centre of gravity and technique that means he is perfectly balanced as he moves the ball with his right foot, and is therefore able to jink in either direction away from his marker. Villa are often pinned back by their opponents Grealish is able to relieve pressure on his team by swiftly putting those opponents on the back foot.

When he is on the ball his immediate instinct is to drive forwards with purpose, taking his team up the pitch as quickly as possible. Opponents often track him when he moves into deeper positions to receive from defence (below), because Grealish is at his most dangerous when he has even the slightest chance to turn and face goal. He was given that freedom at Villa – to roam the pitch searching for opportunities to take passes and quickly look to turn so he is facing forwards. Instead, he thrives when he is given the freedom to move into whatever position he is most likely to find space and receive the ball. He is not quite a central midfielder, not quite a traditional number 10, and he certainly isn’t a forward. However, the sort of headaches that any boss would welcome.Grealish is a hugely talented midfielder who relishes taking the ball and always provides a passing option for his teammates. With Grealish potentially joining not only Foden, De Bruyne and Gundogan, but also the likes of Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva (if he stays), and Gabriel Jesus in attack (to say nothing of the prospect of Tottenham's Harry Kane joining), there will certainly be selection headaches ahead for manager Guardiola. There is also a chance that Grealish could play wide on the left where he spent a lot of time with Villa, but that is a spot that Phil Foden has increasingly made his own. The Germany international played his part in 21 goals across all competitions in 2020-21 with 17 goals and four assists, but the Villa man could be considered the more consistent attacking threat. With Grealish coming aboard, Kevin De Bruyne could revert from his recent floating role to more of a right-sided berth which saw him excel in 2019-20 with 13 Premier League goals and 20 assists and his best expected assists per 90 of 0.47 and average of 3.5 open play chances per 90.Īssuming Grealish earns a starting role at Etihad Stadium, it is likely to be on the left side of central midfield and that will put him into competition with Ilkay Gundogan.

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