Tim Sherwood has defended Jack Grealish, who has been slated by several fans and pundits alike for his lack of end product.
The pundit, who managed Grealish at Aston Villa explained on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast why the likes of Graeme Souness and Stuart Pearce were incorrect about the quality he possesses.
Recently, Souness had claimed that the Englishman offers “no threat” and believed that his end product was far too low.
Tim Sherwood defends Jack Grealish from Graeme Souness and Stuart Pearce criticism
Stuart Pearce admitted that he agreed with the Liverpool legend, demanding the £300,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man to register 10 goals and 10 assists in a season, playing for a team of the calibre of the Sky Blues.
Now, Tim Sherwood has explained why Jack Grealish plays such a crucial role for Manchester City that goes beyond just goal contributions.
“I think they’re [Graeme Souness and Stuart Pearce] wrong [about Jack Grealish]. Graeme has done this for a number of years now because he says, ‘Who would want to be the most fouled player in the Premier League? It’s obviously because you can’t see it early enough and he keeps getting caught on the ball.’ But I would argue that when you try to link the play from back to front, he holds the ball up, Jack”, he said on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast.
Tim Sherwood continued to elaborate on why Jack Grealish is a vital contributor for Manchester City, saying, “He protects it and he takes you up the field by winning fouls as well because he gets his big old calves in between him and the opposition. He sits into people, he creates a melee, so what I mean by that is three or four players are around him all the time and he finds a pass, and he releases it inside to Kevin De Bruyne or [Ilkay] Gundogan last year, he releases it and creates space elsewhere on the pitch.”
He added, “He’s not a [Jeremy] Doku, he’s not a bottle of pop, who’s going to run past people and get you off your seat. But he’s got ability, he sees a pass, he’s clever.”
“No, he is a top-drawer player and I’ve said it many times, if Gareth Southgate doesn’t put him and Phil Foden in the England team, I think we’re missing out. And I think he will regret it. You’ve got to go on the front foot, you’ve got to really embroider your strengths and your strengths are players like that. He really is top-drawer, really, really is.”
Jack Grealish has been responding to his critics recently
While Tim Sherwood did a terrific job in terms of breaking down what Jack Grealish does outside of goal involvements, in his last three appearances in the Premier League, he has scored three goals.
Against Luton Town and Crystal Palace, the 28-year-old was operating in a much more central role and against Tottenham Hotspur as well, his goal emerged from the centre of the box.
Whether it is a positional shift or just an improvement in terms of his movement, Grealish is starting to become a goalscorer and silencing his critics.
