England suffered a 1-0 defeat to Italy on Friday evening, but Jack Grealish was one of a few players who can hold his head high after impressing from the bench.
The 27-year-old was a second-half substitution and looked dangerous when introduced, so Pep Guardiola will be pleased to see him building on his bright performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Grealish scored higher than seven other England players in BBC Sport’s player rating. Sky Sports gave him a rating of 5/10 and said he made ‘decent runs’ to try turning the tide. The Guardian gave the 27-year-old a rating of 6/10. The Telegraph gave him a player rating of 6/10 and said he gave England impetus.
Giving his dues, Grealish since coming out, looks good, causing chaos and winning fouls, no diving.
— Rizzla ʷᵉ'ʳᵉ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵃˡᵒⁿᵉ (@loopyrizla) September 23, 2022
ANOTHER GAME where Grealish is really good off the bench
— The Irrelevant Pundit 🏴 (@gspurTHFC) September 23, 2022
Grealish is so good at drawing fouls. what a player
— Andrew 🇺🇦 (@lfcandrew_ca) September 23, 2022
Another dismal + dreary showing from Southgate’s England.
Plenty of discourse will follow regarding his tactical nous + decisions + perhaps rightly so.
A game of few chances went Italy’s way. A strong return for Dier, Bellingham also shone & an encouraging cameo for Grealish.
— 𝗢𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 (@FootballOllie) September 23, 2022
England been loads better since Grealish came on from an attacking sense. Italy sitting deep and defending well.
— MisterCrisps (@iamMisterCrisps) September 23, 2022
Against Italy, Grealish played for 19 minutes, completed 100% of his 17 passes, had one successful dribble and was fouled three times. His efforts didn’t lead to England scoring, but Guardiola will be happy to see him looking threatening in the final third after much criticism this season.
Grealish picked up a yellow card after coming on, so he’ll be suspended for England’s meeting with Germany.
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