Jack Grealish: Fearless swagger shows he must start for England
- Published
Jack Grealish was fouled seven times against Belgium - the most suffered by an England player since Harry Kane against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup
Jack Grealish has often seemed to have a fight on his hands to convince Gareth Southgate of his pedigree, worth and place at international level - if England's manager is not convinced now he never will be.
It was only in August that 25-year-old Grealish was not even included in England's squad to face Iceland and Denmark in the Nations League with Southgate saying he had to force his way past Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, plus Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho.
The Aston Villa captain eventually made that squad because of injuries but further questions were raised when he was stuck firmly to the bench as England cried out for creativity in the home loss to Denmark, despite running the show on his first start when Wales were beaten at Wembley in a friendly.
The players Southgate reeled off as being ahead of Grealish in the England queue had fallen by the wayside for a variety of reasons in Belgium as England lost 2-0 to end their hopes of reaching the Nations League finals.
It gave Grealish another chance after impressing against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday and, against the world's top-ranked side, he played with a fearless swagger and creative edge that must now mark him down as not just a valuable squad member but a certain starter.
Southgate spoke warmly of Grealish after the game, saying he had jumped the pecking order. It is a leap that must now give him an extended run in the England side.
England may have lost but this was a big night for Grealish, one that showed Southgate and any other doubters that he has the temperament and ability for this elite level.
He was Southgate's biggest hope on a night when they were left toothless by a formation lacking pace and thrust.
Jack Grealish's stats against Belgium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Passing accuracy | Duels won | Times possession gained | Shots | Key passes |
89.5% | 85.7% | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Successful passes | Passes in opposition half | Touches | Fouls won | Times possession lost |
51/57 | 47 | 76 | 7 | 9 |
Southgate's side had a lot of the ball but the brutal truth is that Belgium, who seemed content to sit back and consolidate their lead, were barely troubled.
England did have every right to complain about the free-kick awarded against Declan Rice after his challenge on Kevin De Bruyne that led to Dries Mertens' superb free-kick to make it 2-0, adding to Youri Tielemans' deflected early shot.
Southgate had said they had to "hunt down" top sides such as Belgium to prove they rank among the best but his side lacked the cutting edge to hunt anything in Leuven.
What optimism and creation there was came from the quite outstanding Grealish, who left former England international Chris Waddle, watching for BBC 5 Live Sport, saying: "How do you leave Jack Grealish out?
"He does make a real difference. He looks like he is going to be a permanent fixture."
It will not simply be Grealish's many supporters, those who often wondered what he had to do to make his case to Southgate, who will be echoing those sentiments.
In a game where England once again lacked creation, Grealish was head and shoulders above his colleagues.
Jack Grealish has started the last two England games against the Republic of Ireland and Belgium
Grealish ran with the ball, took responsibility, drew a succession of fouls in dangerous areas and produced one glorious touch, a flick over Belgium defender Thomas Meunier, that had all the hallmarks and audacity of a player at ease with his international surroundings.
It is only right to say, for context, that the tempo and danger lacking from England's system could have been provided by the injured Sterling and Rashford - but come what may, it is now hard to see how Southgate can sideline Grealish any more.
Expanding on the midfielder's exclusion back in August, Southgate said: "I know Villa have played him as an eight but I don't see him in that role for us. He could play as a 10 but we haven't played with a 10."
Will Southgate revamp his system to suit Grealish? Highly unlikely but the evidence is mounting to suggest he simply has to find a way of integrating the player who has made a superb start to the Premier League season with Aston Villa and has excelled for England.
Southgate seems determined to persist with a three-man central defence but with Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice in midfield England lack an "X Factor" and that crucial commodity of creativity.
In five Nations League games, England have scored only three goals, two penalties and Mason Mount's wildly deflected shot that brought victory over Belgium at Wembley in October.
This record simply underscores the need and importance of a player such as Grealish, a risk taker who can produce the moments that can unlock the best defences.
This was a night when England said goodbye to their hopes of reaching a second Nations League finals after an unimpressive campaign that also included that Wembley defeat against Denmark.
It may, though, have been the night when Grealish finally announced his arrival as player England and Gareth Southgate will count on.
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