“He needs to train harder in order to get a spot in the squad-Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola explains the reason behind Jack Grealish lack of playing time
Pep Guardiola praised Jack Grealish and other Manchester City players following their difficult win over Everton.
The Blues were frustrated at the Etihad throughout the first 70 minutes of their Premier League game before Erling Haaland’s brace gave them their ninth consecutive win in all competitions. Guardiola was impressed by the impact of City’s substitutions, despite Haaland’s performance throughout.
Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker both came off the bench in the second half to give the team some much-needed urgency, and Bernardo Silva and Grealish both came on to help. Guardiola was pleased with the alterations and singled out Grealish following his recent absence from the club.
“I love to win this type of game,” that’s what he said. “The issue is there; we knew it, we discussed it; Everton is always very complicated here, and we lost a lot of points.
“Something people can’t say, be positive; the body language improved significantly in the second half. We were grumbling in the first half because the players’ body language was poor, and their synergy after losing a ball needed to improve.
“In the second half, we improved our ability to read spaces. The first half was not excellent, but Kyle and Kevin made significant contributions, as did Bernardo and Jack – particularly Jack’s ability to keep the ball.
“Well deserved, and I enjoy winning these types of games despite struggling and knowing how difficult everything is. Nothing is taken for granted; the manner they celebrated accomplishments demonstrates how difficult it was.
