The most quoted statistic about Jack Grealish is generally used as a compliment.
“He is the most fouled player in the Premier League,” his ever-expanding fanclub responds to the suggestion that perhaps, just perhaps, he does not get past his marker enough to justify those Gazza comparisons.
Grealish is probably the most fouled player in international football in 2021, too. That speculation is based solely on England’s 1-1 draw with Poland on Wednesday, when there were moments when you could have been forgiven for thinking Grealish had a bullseye tattooed on each shin.
Inconveniently for the Manchester City midfielder, German referee Daniel Siebert never saw fit to punish a multitude of cynical hacks directed at the England magician. Whenever he is pulled to the ground it seems like defenders are as eager to get hold of that England and Manchester City shirt as Grealish was. He takes an uncommon level of punishment by modern standards.
Ahead of his Champions League debut this month, events in Warsaw ought to prove instructive to Grealish because whether through incompetence, sheer bloody-mindedness, or in keeping with the new edict to keep the game moving, the official was reluctant to penalise the sinners.
This is a reality Grealish must adjust to in European and international football, especially away from home, because the referees are easily intimidated by hostile crowds. If the spectators and officials mark your card as a tricky midfielder who hits the deck too easily, frankly even an ankle amputation courtesy of a hapless full-back with a penchant for butchery may make the referee wave play on.
What’s the solution for Grealish? How about he sets himself the ambition of being fouled 50 per cent less this season? Could he be a little quicker over the first yard when trying to go past his man? Might he see and release his passes a millisecond earlier without the compulsion to indulge in a crowd-pleasing shimmy?
Grealish is at his most effective when moving the ball swiftly, engaging in those penetrative one-twos with a team-mate on the same wavelength like Mason Mount; instantly feeding an overlapping full-back with his perfectly weighted passes; or delivering a cross when approaching the byline and thus running out of space to continue dribbling.
One suspects Pep Guardiola will be thinking likewise if he sees too many counter-attacks halted by the kind of tactical fouls on Grealish he would probably order his own anchormen to commit, or if a prolonged passing sequence breaks down with his £100 million signing on the receiving end of another cynical challenge.
Class players will often find it impossible to escape the attention of those intent solely on taking them down, but Grealish need only watch videos of Guardiola’s greatest Barcelona team and purr at how the likes of Andres Iniesta mastered the art of sidestepping and embarrassing an incoming henchman.
Closer to home, Grealish can take advice from Raheem Sterling, who according to the statistics was fouled only 41 times in 2020/21 compared to his new teammate’s 111. The nimble-footed Phil Foden was apparently upended on only 34 occasions in last year’s Premier League. Was Grealish really targeted more than Sterling and Foden? Or is it more likely that they are so rapid over the first few yards the defenders were chasing shadows.
The next stage of Grealish’s evolution is to ensure, as is generally the case with Sterling and Foden, that his markers can’t get close enough to kick him or drag him down so much. The artistry of his first touch, and his mesmerising ability to receive and turn, means he can do everything he already does a second quicker, and thus with more penetration. Under Guardiola and alongside so many world-class players, Grealish’s levels of productivity will certainly increase.
But in the quest to be established as a truly elite player for club and country, suffering so many late tackles can never be a badge of honour. World class status will come when Grealish has mastered the art of evading, not suffering from incessant fouls.