Jack Grealish poised for major Manchester City midfield change hinted by Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola may be on the verge of transforming Jack Grealish’s role in his Manchester City side following the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

The England international has had a mixed time with Manchester City in terms of performances since joining from Aston Villa in the summer transfer window of 2021 for a widely-mentioned £100 million transfer fee.

There is no questioning the success of Jack Grealish alongside his Manchester City teammates however, having won almost everything available to win during his three-and-a-half seasons at the club, including the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup treble in 2023.

However, many are wondering whether Pep Guardiola has been getting the best possible performances out of Jack Grealish during their time working together, with the former Villa captain often being deployed on the left of City’s front-three.

And during a recent interview, Guardiola hinted that as part of him and his coaching staff seeking fresh solutions to the struggling performances of the squad, Jack Grealish could be rearranged into a different role.

Speaking to reporters following the defeat to Arne Slot’s side at Anfield, Guardiola was keen to praise the role of his midfield players – many of whom were operating outside of their natural roles – against Liverpool’s counterparts.

“I just can say thank you to Bernardo (Silva), to Manu (Akanji), to Rico (Lewis) for playing in a position that they are not used to. To fight against (Ryan) Gravenberch, a number 10 that has amazing first control, and after attacking to the next line,” said Guardiola.

“Or with (Alexis) Mac Allister, an experienced player. Or with (Dominik) Szoboszlai, or Curtis Jones, or the players they have. We made an incredible effort, they did it. I know Manu played with Rodri, or with (Mateo) Kova and it’s different to playing with Bernardo.

“And Bernardo is a player that plays more in the positions between, but I know he fights. So what can I say? I know they made an incredible effort to come back. And today with Kevin (De Bruyne) the rhythm was much better than the previous games.”

Pep Guardiola continued by making reference towards Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, and how the former Aston Villa captain is now being considered for a very different role within his Etihad Stadium set-up.

“Jack in the middle, I’m thinking he can help us to have that control or even that vision to the final third,” the 53-year-old revealed. “And as much as our weaknesses go through, and as much as we can win games, our physical condition will be better and we will be a better and better team. And hopefully it can happen.”

Manchester City return to action with a meeting against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Wednesday night, and many will be keen to see whether it will be the first opportunity for Jack Grealish to excel centrally from the off.