Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Man City insiders' 'blunt view' on rumours Pep Guardiola is punishing Jack Grealish
Manchester City star Jack Grealish is finding game time more difficult to come by than he did last season.
Arsenal will be Man City's main title challengers this season | Football Digest
Jack Grealish's demotion to the Manchester City bench has become a topic of hot discussion this season. Rumours have even circulated suggesting that Pep Guardiola has knocked the former Aston Villa star down a peg due to his boozy treble celebrations at the start of the summer.
A combination of factors have left £100million man Grealish scrambling for more game time at the Etihad Stadium. For starters, a hamstring injury kept him out for almost the entire month of September, stunting much of the momentum he had built up over the course of an impressive 2022/23.
The signing of rival left-winger Jeremy Doku has also made Grealish's life considerably more difficult. The Belgian is proving an instant hit with Sky Blues supporters due to his pace and positivity in possession, while Grealish is struggling to impact games in the same way.
Some wonder whether Guardiola has brought the 28-year-old crashing back down to earth as a punishment for his exuberant antics after City's treble triumph.
However, The Independent claim that City insiders are not convinced by such talk. Instead, it is simply put down to 'this is Pep', with the former Barcelona boss chopping and changing his starting XI to keep established stars on their toes.
It seems likely that Doku will get the nod ahead of Grealish when City travel to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. The 21-year-old will be desperate to continue his finest form against Manchester United, which would make him even more difficult to displace on the left flank.
Read more...
Tonali ban may be bad news for Arsenal as Newcastle prepare to flex muscles [TRANSFERS]
Sandro Tonali's season over as Newcastle star handed hefty betting ban [LATEST]
Man Utd's Jadon Sancho showed true colours after being left out of Bayern trip [REPORT]
Guardiola raised eyebrows by fielding both Grealish and Doku in the Champions League win over Young Boys on Wednesday night, with the former on the left and the latter on the right.
Grealish playing the full 90 minutes would, in most other circumstances, come as a promising sign for his prospects of earning a spot in the starting XI. But doing so days before the Manchester derby suggests that Guardiola will select fresher options, with Phil Foden rested, Bernardo Silva brought on from the bench and Doku taken off in the second half.
There has been no inkling of a soured relationship between the City boss and Grealish due to last season's wild celebrations. In fact, Guardiola has publicly cut the England international some slack, insisting that he needs time to slip back into full flow.
"He started the season a little bit late and when the restart happened he had a big impact against Sheffield United, after one month off," he said. "After one month off he needs rhythm - he’s not like Phil or Bernardo who need two or three training sessions to be ready. But we need him. He’s incredibly focused to get back and we’re going to use him and we believe he will help us."