Everyone loved Jack Grealish giving yet another brilliant post-match interview after he came off the bench to set up Manchester City’s winner at Chelsea.
City were sloppy and lacking invention in the first half, causing Pep Guardiola to make two changes at half-time.
He made a further two subs shortly after, with both Riyad Mahrez and Grealish entering the fray and making the difference for the Premier League champions.
Grealish delivered a perfect left-footed pass at the far post for Mahrez to sneak in and score a tap-in. Afterwards, he was whisked in for an interview alongside the panel on Sky Sports and produced utter gold once again.
The former Aston Villa captain analysed his assist but simplified it brilliantly by admitting he was just looking for Erling Haaland.
Honest as ever, Grealish said: “I’ve put my head down to cross it and straight away I’m thinking, Erling’s got to be somewhere.”
He went on to explain that he asked the Norwegian goal where he was after the game and he told him he had pulled for the cut-back.
Grealish continued: “I said to him [Erling Haaland], ‘Where were you?’ He said because everyone was in there he pulled back.
He also told exactly what was going through his head on the bench watching the action, before Mahrez informed him they were both being brought on at the same time.
“The manager told Riyad [Mahrez] to go warm up, he didn’t actually tell me so I thought I’m going to warm up here and I’m not even coming on, then Riyad said Jack we’re going on. I was like, ‘Buzzing, see you later.'”
Conversation then turned to Grealish going to the same school as Sky pundit Karen Carney, capped 144 times by England.
That prompted the Three Lions star to come up with a gem of a line when he said, “That’s where our brainy minds come from” in his thick Brummie accent.
Not for the first time, Grealish came across so likeable and couldn’t sound any less media-trained if he tried – something fans lapped up.
One fan replied: “Immense interview, what a likeable personality.”
A second said: “He’s just a proper nice lad who’s living the dream.”
A third wrote: “Most down to earth footy player him the way he’s speaking like he’s just speaking to a mate.”
A fourth opined: “What a refreshing fella @JackGrealish is by the way.. hell of a player too. Smashing life out the park.”
A fifth commented: “How good was @JackGrealish post match interview.”
A sixth added: “Really refreshingly open and personable interview. Makes players so much more likeable (even if you support their rivals!)”
Manchester City Star Jack Grealish Gives Brilliant Open Interview
Jack Grealish gave a very honest interview following Manchester City’s Premier League title win, and opened up about one issue he’s had settling into Pep Guardiola’s team.
History is written by the winners, and if City hadn’t completed the comeback against Aston Villa on Sunday then there would have been one huge question following Pep around, “why not bring on Grealish?”
At 2-0 the City boss turned to Ilkay Gundogan instead of a man he signed for £100 million, from Villa, less than a year ago, in order to turn things around as they looked on the verge of throwing the title away.
It worked, as Gundogan grabbed the all important goals, but it raised further questions about the England forward, with some suggesting the 26-year-old has been a flop, especially with just three league goals and three league assists in his first season.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the former Villa captain explained where he wants to be better and revealed he thinks the change in tactics, to fit into Guardiola’s system, has affected his thinking on the pitch, which in turn impacted his play.
“You know, even times where people have said to me ‘I want Jack to attack more, like at Villa,'” he explained on the Etihad pitch as the celebrations went on around him.
“And I feel like sometimes, because Pep don’t want you to lose the ball, I’m so in my head, thinking ‘I can’t lose this ball,’ you know what I mean.
“Where I feel like, ‘All right, I’ve got to come back out.'”
Asked by Jamie Redknapp if he felt he’d played ‘safe,’ Grealish added, “Yeah, at times.
“For example in the second half last week, against West Ham, I felt like once I’d scored I was like ‘Come on, give me the ball,’ and I was running at people, trying to create things.
“I even spoke to people I’m close to after the game, my dad, I was like ‘I felt like myself then, playing today,’
“Hopefully I can bring that next season. I’m sure I will.”
Grealish was very happy to get his hands on the Premier League trophy.
Other forwards have struggled in their first season under Pep, before going on to make a huge impact, with Bernardo Silva and David Silva in similar positions in the past.
Even Sergio Aguero initially lost his position as a guaranteed starter under the City manager, when he took over from Manuel Pellegrini back in 2016, with the Argentinian having to adapt.
Despite not playing in the comeback win over his former side, the England forward was clearly over the moon with his first title win, and was given some brilliant advice by Roy Keane.
Thinking ahead to the upcoming campaign starting in August, and potentially with one eye on the winter’s World Cup, he also added he wants more goals and assists in the future.
“You’ve got too, I think in this day and age, that’s what people look at,” he said when asked about thinking about his numbers.
“And for attacking players that’s what you want to do.
“It’s like for defenders, it’s all good you playing well but you want clean sheets.
“Hopefully next season I can get more of them [goals and assists] and I’m sure that’ll be the case with Pep and [Gareth] Southgate.”
Source: sportbible.com
