‘Pep Guardiola and Jack Grealish fallout at Man City clear after Brighton draw’
Jack Grealish has evidently become a source of major frustration for Pep Guardiola as Man City continue to struggle on the pitch this season.
The Citizens were held to an eventful 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 15 March, which could have ended rather differently had Kaoru Mitoma’s opener not been ruled out for Brighton.
Erling Haaland took advantage of the incident, netting from a penalty just two minutes later, with Omar Marmoush and Pervis Estupinan exchanging long-range efforts to make it 2-1 at half-time.
An Abdukodir Khusanov own goal saw the Seagulls silence the Etihad before turning on the style to absolutely dominate City and hand Guardiola another blow before he potentially even leaves Man City this summer.
Grealish was forced to watch from the sidelines, even though his manager admitted he had been performing in training, staying sat on the bench for the seventh time in his last 10 inclusions in the squad.
Jack Grealish snubs spark speculation over Pep Guardiola fallout
Football Insider understands Grealish will have multiple suitors this summer if he leaves Man City, with many tipping him for an emotional return to Aston Villa.
With City under the cosh in the closing stages, it would have made total sense to bring Grealish on, who is known for holding up the ball, winning free-kicks, and dragging his team up the pitch.
Instead, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, also linked with a Man City exit, replaced Bernardo Silva and Omar Marmoush, with three substitutions left unused by the manager.
Grealish has just six Premier League starts to his name this season, and while fans are not yet ready to turn on Guardiola, this is not the first time that a fallout has been speculated between the pair.
| Jack Grealish’s last five games in City squad | Minutes played |
| Man City 2-2 Brighton | 0′ |
| Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man City | 0′ |
| Tottenham 0-1 Man City | 1′ |
| Man City 0-2 Liverpool | 0′ |
| Arsenal 5-1 Man City | 0′ |
Jack Grealish’s dirty laundry being aired out by media amid Man City snubs
In August 2022, one year after signing for the 10-time Premier League champions, the winger hit out at a post from Sportbible suggesting the winger had enough of the manager’s yelling during a game [The Standard].
This season, with Grealish now under the microscope, the player’s actions off the pitch have been scrutinised, especially after being pictured drunk on a night out recently.
While Guardiola was quick to protect his player in front of the media [The Sun], passing off the related questions with a joke, it could certainly explain why the manager is in no mood to put him on the pitch.
His actions in terms of team selection say more than enough, however. Given the player’s apparent history when it comes to dealing with authority and continuing to live his individual lifestyle, coupled with the obsessive and exhausting style of management from Guardiola it would be no surprise if heated words had been exchanged in Manchester.
Whether Grealish will see another opportunity to have much of an impact before the end of the season, or indeed his City career, is surely now in far more doubt.