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JUST HOW GOOD HAS JACK GREALISH BEEN THIS SEASON?
- Matt Smith
- 8 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Jack Grealish’s future was up in the air during the summer transfer window, with Pep Guardiola leaving him out of Manchester City’s Club World Cup squad. With his high wages and previous hefty price tag, meaning City weren’t going to let him go cheaply, it was never going to be simply for him to find a club with ease.
Everyone knows about the talent Grealish possesses, but it’s safe to say we hadn’t seen over the last few years. After playing a crucial role in City’s treble-winning campaign, Grealish fell out of favour under Guardiola and was no longer a regular feature. That’s when Everton came to the table.
A club so used to battling towards the foot of the table in recent years, many questioned Grealish’s reasons for ‘stepping down’. This was never money-oriented, considering he’ll be getting his City wage regardless - he simply wanted to play and enjoy his football. Everton boss David Moyes has given Grealish plenty of responsibility since his move to the club. The Toffees focus a large percentage of their attacks through him, which has certainly been picked up on by opposition sides in recent weeks. Grealish now appears to be back enjoying his football, playing regularly, given the ball at every opportunity, and constantly trying to make things happen in the final third.
Grealish is desperate to be on that plane to the World Cup in 2026, but does he deserve a place?
One thing Grealish has shown in abundance so far this season is chance creation. The English winger has created 20 chances this campaign, with only Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes managing more. 16 of the chances created have come from open play, with no player in the league managing more. The perhaps most impressive thing about this is the fact Everton average just 45.1% possession in the Premier League this season, ranking them 16th in the table, meaning Grealish is creating these opportunities fairly regularly in comparison to how often Everton actually have the ball. In terms of chance creation, there aren’t many better in the league this campaign, and there’s certainly no English winger even close to him when it comes to the data in this department.
Grealish is phenomenal at finding the balance between keeping the ball with safety, and showing an element of risk to try and create chances or progress play. Grealish has completed 124 successful passes in the final third in the Premier League this term (81.6% success rate), so he’s usually retaining possession or making something happen high up the pitch.
Grealish is well-known for his ball-carrying ability, and we’re seeing that in abundance for Everton at the moment. Even when Grealish isn’t taking players on, he’s getting Everton up the pitch through his dribbling, occupying multiple defenders, winning fouls, and simply ‘making things happen’ in the final third.
The positivity in his actions has been a huge factor for Everton, especially in the opening few weeks, as it’s rare that you see him not contributing in a way that impacts the Toffees. Grealish simply having the ball at his feet creates space for others, as the opposition players know how much of a threat he can be.
As you’ll see from above, something which he does need to add to his game again is goals, but we’ll touch on that again later
Against Tottenham on Sunday evening, for example, once you get Grealish in the box, which Everton have been trying to do as much as possible, you’re naturally creating overloads in dangerous areas as, on this occasion, four Tottenham players are in the vicinity.
Grealish now has a reputation after what he’s done over the years, and opposition sides can’t help but double, triple, and even quadruple up on him at times. Now, this has become a bit of a problem for Everton this season, as they have a lack of quality in terms of an overlapping fullback, a dangerous striker, or progressive midfielders, meaning the opposition can take that risk of sending bodies over to try and get the ball.
With England, this would be a bit of a disaster for opposition sides to attempt, as you’re going to leave players such as Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, or Bukayo Saka. This will mean, for England, Grealish will be afforded more time and space to make things happen, and considering his ability with the ball when he’s flooded with bodies, his game would go to another level with the national team.
In terms of successful congested take-ons, there aren’t many better in the league than Grealish. His ability to create separation when in tight spaces and still look after the ball is next level, and it’s quite incredible how much he’s able to contribute despite being a major target for the opposition.
As mentioned, the fact Grealish gets pounced upon by multiple defenders does benefit Everton at times. As you’ll see above, and this is the same in many cases, Grealish is very rarely left in 1v1 situations, and that allows space for others. The above assist might just be a simply pass into the feet of James Garner, but how dangerous he is means the opposition have neglected his team-mate in order to double up on him.
When Grealish does get left in 1v1 situations, which often happens in transitional moments, he often gets the better of them for one key reason. As you’ll see above, the Brighton defenders are trying to prevent him cutting inside onto his stronger foot, but Grealish is a two-way winger. He’s just as comfortable taking the ball to the byline and using his weaker foot, so it’s a tough task for defenders to try and stop him.
Once he gets to that byline, his ability to use his weak foot at a high level allows him to pick out Iliman Ndiaye at the back post, playing the ball in front of him at pace, allowing him to just tap the ball into an empty net. Grealish’s unselfishness could be counting against him when it comes to making the England squad.
The Man City loanee has attempted just 11 shots in the Premier League this season, with the majority of them being low xG opportunities, with his only goal being a failed clearance from Daniel Munoz that cannoned off his leg and into the back of the net.
Does Grealish get into positions where he should be able to produce more shooting opportunities? Absolutely, but his unselfishness means he’s often looking to setup a team-mate in a better position, rather than going for goal himself.
As previously mentioned, adding goals to the game is what would separate him from the rest of the English wingers he’s up against. If he wants to take his game to the next level and force Thomas Tuchel to take notice, he needs to start being a little more selfish, especially with Everton struggling to convert chances at the moment.
One issue Tuchel might have is we’re not seeing Grealish in too many situations where he’s going to be during international games with England. Tuchel’s side are likely to dominate almost every single game at The World Cup with 60% possession, and we’ve barely seen Grealish, during his time at Everton, having to break down low blocks.
What Grealish can offer England is a creative spark down the left-hand side that they don’t have in abundance at the moment, and his ability to win fouls in the final third could be crucial in tight games, whether that be to waste a little time or create set-piece opportunities.
Grealish is a few more star performances away from a call-up to Tuchel’s squad, then it will be up to him to grab his opportunity with both hands.
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