Class-act Jack’s ready for the big stage... his style reminds me of Gazza
IF ONE good thing came out of an England game that simply shouldn’t have happened this week, it was Gareth Southgate finally embracing the talent of Jack Grealish.
I like Jack. A lot. I think he’s a class act. I go back to one of the first times I saw him way back in 2015 in the FA Cup semi-final when, as a teenager still, he for me was man of the match, and to grab the game like that on his first big occasion set him apart.
I think he’s done that through his career, but now he seems to have gone up a level, and Southgate clearly recognises that.
You look at what Grealish has done in the last six months or so, and he seems to be a player who can command the big stage.
Sometimes it’s that mentality which makes all the difference. People may think I’m crazy, but he reminds me of my old England team-mate Gazza in some ways. He’s got the bottle as well as the skill, and he has that same style.
He’s not as dynamic as Gazza, but the way he draws defenders in, and then has that ability to skip past them using his quick feet, and his strength and his arms.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying he’s as good as Paul Gascoigne yet. He isn’t as powerful, maybe he doesn’t yet have the passing range.
But he is a big-occasion player. And, just maybe, Southgate sees something of Gazza in him.
People have said Grealish didn’t have an end product, that he took too many touches and never delivered at the right moments. Maybe they had a point.
But not this season. His stats are right up there with Harry Kane, Mo Salah and Kevin de Bruyne. That is the highest level he could be. And he has the belief to match those stats, just like Gazza had.
I remember one game against Italy, we didn’t play well, and in the dressing room afterwards, Gazza tore a chunk off Alan Shearer even though big Al was the main man back then. He had that confidence. What I see in Grealish is a footballer who understands the game a bit more. People call it maturity and, yeah, maybe. But it’s just an understanding you can’t possibly have
when you are a kid, especially in the modern game when things are so tactical.
When you are young, you are naive in some situations. I scored 30 goals a season in my first three full seasons, but I was still naive. I had far more understanding as I got older. The more games you play, the more accustomed you become to how you need to play.
Playing for England, or one of the top clubs like, say, Liverpool. Those demands are high, and it’s tough for a young player.
You have to cope with the tactical calls, but you also need an end product… and that is the hardest thing at the top level. Grealish now is showing he’s reached that level. And I do believe he’s ready for the next step, not just with England, but in domest i c football too.
Villa fans don’t want to hear this but, to me, him signing a new contract actually told me it was Villa obviously wanting him to stay a bit longer… but also that whoever comes in for him will have to pay a lot of money.
Ib I believe they are getting them themselves ready for a an offe offer from a bigger team – –a and he has earned the ri right to make that m move. Obviously. I’d a also say he has those a aspirations, again o obviously.
Villa fans will dispute this thi – and I like that abou about fans – but there are bigger clubs out there than those, and Grealish can play for them. In a way, his supporters should accept that and take pride in it.
One thing I would say, though, is the top teams shouldn’t sign a player like him just because he’s talented, without having a role for them. Ross Barkley is a classic example.
A real talent at Everton, but Chelsea didn’t sign him to perform a specific role, they just wanted him to slot in.
That was clearly no good for him, and yet now at Villa he looks class again, because Dean Smith saw a specific way he could play and improve that team.
The same has to happen with Grealish. Southgate found a role to get the best out of him last week, and he played really well. Smith has too.
So I hope he gets treated like Salah or Mane at Liverpool, say, with a role that suits him and makes him an even better player. He has that potential.