Jack Grealish’s first season at the Etihad might not have hit the heights he was expecting from a personal perspective. But there is little doubt that the Englishman is now an integral part of the Manchester City team.
Record-breaking Jack Grealish
After City’s 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in the Champions League, a statistic emerged that Grealish is now the record holder for chances created in a Champions League season for an Englishman. Grealish has now created 35 chances, beating the record previously held by Frank Lampard from Chelsea’s 2007/08 Champions League campaign.
But it’s not just the Champions League where Grealish has excelled. He has also become an equally important member of Pep’s Premier League starting eleven. City are set to win their third Premier League title in succession, and already Premier League betting sites have installed City as their 8/15 favourites to win the title again in 2023/24. When pundits reveal their Premier League tips for next season, it’s likely that City will feature heavily, and as things stand, Grealish looks set to play a prominent role in any future successes the club may have.
Still one match to go
Back to the here and now, and the Champions League final means Jack Grealish still has one more chance to further extend his lead over Frank Lampard for assists by an Englishman in a Champions League season. Grealish currently stands at 35 chances created, Lampard created 34.
City have played 12 matches in the Champions League this season, and Grealish has featured in them all. This equates to an average of 2.91 chances per match created by Grealish. Basic maths tells us if he hits that average in the final against Inter Milan, he will have 37 or 38 chances created to his name for the season.
There is also the possibility with it being a final, that City could end up creating plenty of scoring chances, therefore giving Grealish even more opportunities. If the Blues are 1-0 up with a few minutes remaining, it’s inevitable that Inter Milan will have to push forward, leaving more gaps at the back for the likes of Jack to exploit.
And bear in mind that it took 15 years for Frank Lampard’s record to be broken. So it could be a similar time before Grealish’s record is beaten.
The future's bright for Grealish
Jack Grealish now seems to have made the wide left role his own at the club. He has played in over three-quarters of City’s Premier League matches this season, and they have been major contributions. In his first season, a lot of his appearances were off the bench, just cameo roles. That’s certainly not the case this season.
Yes, there’s always the chance Pep Guardiola will go out and buy the next big superstar, someone who may play the Jack Grealish role. But with some good quality youngsters in the City squad who can play in that position, the club may decide that it’s not a problem position, and leave well enough alone. After all, Grealish is now 27 and should be coming into his prime. So if he continues performing to the level he currently does, the position could be his for a couple more years to come yet.