‘It can help us’ – Jack Grealish position change could provide the answer to Man City’s problems

Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City could gain more control over games with Jack Grealish playing in a central position.

The 29-year-old has almost exclusively operated from the wing since his arrival in 2021 but was introduced in a midfield position during Sunday’s defeat against Liverpool. A lack of control and tempo in the middle has been a real issue for City during the ongoing winless run of seven games, and they’ve also struggled to cope with the physical demands of top-level games during that run.

There has also been a lack of creativity, caused partly due to the poor form of Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne’s injury issues, while Ilkay Gundogan has been forced to play in a more withdrawn role.

But Guardiola thinks Grealish could provide the solution. “Jack in the middle, I am thinking can help us to have that control, that vision to the final third,” the Catalan said in the aftermath of the 2-0 loss at Anfield.