“It’s not even about scoring and assisting. It’s like now, I feel confident even though I’ve not scored,” he said. “Obviously I got an assist last week at the Bernabeu [in the 3-3 draw] but I’ve said before that nowadays everyone loves to talk about goals and assists.
“It’s annoying the way the game has gone because you can have a brilliant game and not get a goal or an assist and they say, ‘Ah, he didn’t do this or that.’ And then you can score two tap-ins at the back post and not play well at all and everyone’s like, ‘Ah, he’s brilliant.’ At the moment, I feel good and I feel confident.”
It is clear the narrative around goals and assists grates with him, though. As England’s first £100 million footballer, there is inevitably going to be an expectation that he delivers big numbers and he would be the first to admit his return of three goals this term is not enough for a player in his position with his price tag.
“For me, it’s all about playing and winning stuff,” he said. “Last season, for example, I played a lot of games but I think I only got five goals and 10 or 11 assists. It’s not loads, but I played such a big part in it. I’ve had times when I was at Villa when I’ve scored eight goals and got 15 assists or whatever – more goals and more assists – but I didn’t win anything. What season do I look back on and think, yeah, that was successful?
“When I’m playing and in a rhythm and I feel important to the team and we’re winning stuff as a team, that’s when it matters and that’s what you look back on.
“I don’t think in one season I ever got more than eight goals so it shows they weren’t buying me to become Erling Haaland and this crazy goalscorer. Obviously I want to score more. Who wouldn’t? But I think City knew how much I offer in different areas. Everyone is just so obsessed with stats nowadays.”
One player posting big numbers is Cole Palmer, who left City for Chelsea last summer in a £42.5 million deal and now sits atop the Premier League goalscoring charts alongside Erling Haaland. Grealish is delighted to see his old team-mate excelling but hopes he has a stinker at Wembley.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
