Grealish must use pain for his gain

THE wind at Selhurst Park was so ferocious on a sunny April afternoon that it was sending Jack Grealish's hair left, right and backwards but that wasn't going to stop him making his point.

- SIMON BAJKOWSKI

Having just played an important role in an important Premier League win for City, the £100m star made his first appearance of the season with reporters to give his side of an underwhelming season.

There was annoyance at the obsession with goals and assists as the key metrics for performance in his position, frustration at the injuries that hadn't helped his rhythm, acceptance that despite that he still hadn't been good enough as he struggled to motivate himself after the Treble, and determination that everyone would see the best of him in the final part of the campaign.

It was exactly what anyone would have wanted from Grealish, especially because when he had been on the pitch at Palace, or Copenhagen, or Luton, it appeared clear that City were a better team with him in it.

A Blues fan who appreciates what Grealish adds to the side messaged recently to point out that he has only lost once in his last 50 league starts: 'tactics or lucky mascot?' they asked.

The problem is that what followed on from Palace suggested that City's tactics worked better without him central to the plan.

He started four of the next six games to be fair, including both legs of the Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid and the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

However, even with decent performances City looked better when he was replaced by Jeremy Doku against Madrid and Chelsea, or Erling Haaland at Forest.