Man City benefitting as Guardiola molds Grealish into ideal system player
When Raheem Sterling first moved to Manchester City back in 2015, they were signing a forward who was very much an unfinished product. The aim for City was to smooth down the rough edges and allow this diamond to shine. For a player who'd already established himself a a first team regular for Liverpool prior to his then-record breaking switch to the Etihad Stadium, there was already huge pressure on his shoulders to succeed in Manchester.
Sterling made the move at just 20 years of age, and his debut campaign for City didn't quite live up standards. The England forward returned a WhoScored rating of just 6.78, his lowest in a full Premier League season in his career, as he scored just six goals. Manuel Pellegrini failed to coax out his best Liverpool performances in the sole campaign they worked together, and with Pep Gaurdiola taking over in 2016, managerial change didn't aid Sterling in settling in at the Etihad.
Guardiola is also incredibly attentive to detail, and for the most part, the players at his disposal have to follow a set gameplan, putting the collective above the individual needs of a player. This could have negatively impacted Sterling. At his age when Guardiola took over, Sterling was one who'd not be afraid to get his head down when on the ball and take an opponent on, thus increasing the risk of City sacrificing control, which doesn't suit the Spaniard's managerial approach.
However, after a so-so first season under Guardiola, Sterling established himself as a key man for City, netting 55 league goals and providing 22 assists during a fine three-year spell between 2017 and 2020 at the Etihad Stadium as the former Liverpool attacker abided by the demands of Guardiola. He became more of a system player for City and this suited both player and club, as noted by their respective trophy haul up until Sterling's move to Chelsea last summer.
There are signs now that Jack Grealish following a similar path to Sterling. Grealish was so often given a free role during his time at Aston Villa such was his quality on the ball, and as Villa's main man, his reputation grew considerably. When he moved to City for a reported £100m back in 2021, the 27-year-old was expected to slot in seamlessly under Guardiola, yet for a player who had the creative freedom he craved at Villa Park, that was always going to be easier said than done.
Unsurprisingly, Grealish drew the critics in his first season at the Etihad. Three goals and three assists for a team of City's calibre didn't make for great reading, nor does four goals and three assists this season, but crucially is that Grealish has become more of a system player, and this is what Guardiola will have wanted. City this season see less of the ball (64.6%) than they did in 2021/22 (68.2%) in part due to the arrival of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, meaning they now have a more traditional focal point to the offensive.
As such, City do need to work harder out of possession this time around, and this is best highlighted by the number of tackles per 90 Grealish carries out this season. Indeed, this has risen from 0.8 to 1.2. Not a huge increase, but a noticeable one that'll undoubtedly appease Guardiola.
That said, attacking players, particularly ones of Grealish's calibre, are there to predominantly create chances for teammates, and while his key passes per 90 has dropped from 2.5 to 2.2, the quality of the opportunities created has increased. Grealish has created eight 'big chances' this season, an increase on the five he forged last season. In per 90 terms, there has been a rise from 0.2 to 0.5, though this can also be attributed to the addition of Haaland to the frontline.
Nevertheless, just as Sterling had the freedom to operate more care-free with Liverpool before Guardiola got his hands on him, the same can be said of Grealish. He is still one of the most targetted players in the Premier League, as evidenced in that he is fouled 3.5 times per 90, the highest in England's top tier, but he becoming a better fit in Guardiola's City system. Whether that makes Grealish a better player, that's up for debate of course, yet having spent big to secure his services in 2021, City are starting to see the benefits as Guardiola molds the player in his image.
