Defeat’s a shock to the system for Guardiola & Co
THE CURTAIN was raised on a new season – but the sight greeting people was a bit of a shock.
Manchester City lifting a trophy has almost become part of English football’s DNA since Pep Guardiola arrived here in 2016.
The Spanish boss has won silverware 10 times in just five seasons, so losing out to Leicester here came as quite a surprise.
But being on the big stage is the main reason Jack Grealish decided to turn his back on boyhood club Aston Villa to join the reigning champions in a British record
£100million deal last week.
In his heart Grealish,
25, knew he would win nothing if he dedicated his entire career to Villa. He would have been a club icon, albeit one with nothing to polish in retirement.
But if the words of Guardiola in his programme notes before this Community Shield clash at Wembley were anything to go by, when Grealish starts househunting around Manchester he’d better find one with a trophy room.
“The challenge is to continue winning,” he said. “We must always strive for more. It’s my job to make sure we are always moving forward, to stay ahead of our rivals.”
Splashing out £100m on one of the best players in Europe might help, even if Grealish had to start this game on the bench.
Just a month ago he sat in the same place as England suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 Final, being sent on in extra time and finding himself unable to alter the course of history.
Chances like that come around once in a lifetime but Grealish knows opportunities to win things at club level will become the norm from now on.
If Harry Kane was watching from home, he will have done so with an envious glare at the television when Grealish entered the action to huge cheers
25 minutes from time. Had City won, Grealish would have pocketed his first winner’s medal within
72 hours of joining them, while Kane has spent a dozen years at Tottenham winning precisely zilch.
This could change should Kane get his wish but, as things stand, Grealish is the one who will be laughing the loudest come the end of the season.