Can Jack Grealish step up for Aston Villa after his breakthrough last season?
Tuesday 22 September 2015 11:09, UK
Jack Grealish has the talent, but can he lift Aston Villa out of their malaise? Nick Wright takes a look at the challenge facing the 20-year-old after his breakthrough last season...
Tim Sherwood had a clear message for Jack Grealish after he scored his first goal for Aston Villa in their 3-2 defeat to Leicester City. "I've been encouraging him to try and affect the football match," said the Villa manager. "We all know he looks good, he's got great guile and poise. But he needs to start affecting it by scoring goals and delivering assists."
Grealish celebrated that sumptuous finish against Leicester by jumping into his manager's arms, but such jubilant scenes have been few and far between for Villa this season. Four defeats in their last five Premier League games have left them hovering above the drop zone, and Tuesday's Capital One Cup third round clash with arch-rivals Birmingham City has taken on even greater significance after their 1-0 loss to West Brom.
Villa are still finding their feet after a summer of upheaval in the transfer market. Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke headed a long list of departures from Villa Park, and spending exceeded £50m as Sherwood re-shaped his squad with 13 new signings. But while the new faces get acquainted with the Premier League, the departures of Delph and Benteke have left academy graduate Grealish with more responsibility.
Sherwood made that much clear with his comments after the Leicester game. The Villa boss described Grealish as a "one-off talent" ahead of his return from injury last month, but now he wants the young winger to start delivering goals and assists on a more regular basis.
Grealish only turned 20 this month and Saturday's game against West Brom was just the 10th Premier League start of his fledgling career, but it is easy to understand why expectations are already so high - and why England and Ireland are fighting for his international future.
Sherwood handed Grealish his first start in a 3-3 draw with QPR in April last season, and just two weeks later his faith in the youngster was rewarded with a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool at Wembley to propel Villa into the FA Cup final. "The bigger the stage the better he plays," said Sherwood after the game.
The final proved a bridge too far as Arsenal strolled to a 4-0 win, but Grealish's fearless performances ensured he emerged from the campaign with a burgeoning reputation. His next challenge is to build on his breakthrough season, and there have been encouraging signs in the last few weeks.
Grealish's goal against Leicester came after he claimed two assists in Villa's 5-3 win over Notts County in the second round of the Capital One Cup, and no Villa player has averaged more dribbles per game (3.7) or more shots per game (2.3) than Grealish in the Premier League. Those numbers are far higher than last season, when he averaged just 1.4 dribbles per game and 0.8 shots.
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He is certainly not lacking endeavour, either. With his languid style, Grealish is the kind of player who makes his job look easy. But while he often appears to glide effortlessly around the pitch, Premier League tracking data shows that only Ashley Westwood has covered more ground than him in Villa's last two games.
Sherwood will demand more of the same against Birmingham. Their Chamionship rivals have only lost once this season, and Sherwood is expecting a passionate encounter at Villa Park. "It's going to be an intense game, a big game, and a game that I think a lot of them can handle," he said at his pre-match press conference. "The ones that I think can handle it will be on the pitch.
"It means an awful lot to the fans but it means a lot to us in the dressing room too, at this moment in time, because we need to experience that winning feeling again."
Having previously said Grealish thrives on the big stage, Sherwood surely counts him among the players who can "handle" Tuesday's game. After all, the local lad from Solihull understands the rivalry as well as anyone at the club, and he will be particularly determined to bounce back from the defeat to West Brom.
Villa are in dire need of a boost, and in Grealish they possess a player with the quality to provide it. Sherwood's new-look side needs a new talisman. Tuesday would be a perfect time for Grealish to make his case.
Watch Aston Villa v Birmingham City live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Tuesday
