Guardiola Backs Grealish to Make Late-Season Impact
Jack Grealish has struggled for form this season, but Pep Guardiola remains confident the winger can still play a crucial role for Manchester City.
Guardiola has expressed hope that Grealish can regain consistency in the final months of the campaign, despite a challenging period. The 28-year-old has featured 24 times across all competitions this season but has only started 13 matches, scoring twice—once against Salford City in the FA Cup and once versus Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
His dip in form stretches back to last season, when he managed just 26 starts and three goals, leading to his omission from Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024.
A key figure in City’s historic treble-winning campaign in 2022-23, Grealish has recently struggled with a hip injury but has traveled to Spain ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
He was substituted early in last week’s first leg, a match in which City led 1-0 and 2-1 before falling to a 3-2 defeat.
When asked about Grealish’s absence from City’s 4-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday, Guardiola explained:
“He can play a really good game, like he did in the FA Cup, but he hasn’t had the consistency to play three matches a week.”
“With six games in two weeks, he wasn’t able to manage that. But hopefully, in these last three and a half months, he can get back to that level.”
City Seek Revenge Against Madrid
City are aiming to avoid another Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid, who knocked them out last season. Despite 33 shots on goal in the second-leg draw at the Etihad, City were eliminated on penalties, with Bernardo Silva’s Panenka attempt easily caught by Andriy Lunin.
However, the Portuguese midfielder insists he has no regrets and would take another penalty if needed:
“Definitely, I would put my hand up. You can only miss if you take one. The keeper waited for it down the middle, but I have no regrets.”
Silva acknowledged Madrid’s strength but believes City can still turn the tie around:
“We know people saw this as 50-50 before, and maybe now Madrid are favorites. We have a tough task ahead, but we believe we can make things difficult.”
“No team is perfect—not Madrid, not City. There’s always a way to find weaknesses, and it’s about playing the game on our terms.”
