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Jack Grealish mentions it as an afterthought, putting it in a practical way, Brummie’s cool tones somehow amplify the nonchalance. “It was really weird,” says the Aston Villa captain. “I had a fitness test on the day of the game against Liverpool [last Sunday]. He hadn’t even trained for the previous two days because he had pain in his hamstring. I didn’t expect to play like I did. “
Grealish dropped his socks, walked out calmly, scored two, set up three, twisted the blood of Liverpool’s defenders and led his team to a wild 7-2 victory. It has brought trust to international duty. Making his first start for England in Thursday’s 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley, he was the standout player of the game, creating the opening goal for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and more broadly drifting towards spaces, running with the ball, getting his team playing.
The 25-year-old says he is not obsessed with his diet; he doesn’t work those bulging calf muscles and he doesn’t care where he plays. Only play. And when everything fits together, as has happened so far this season, the sense of excitement and possibility is tangible.
England need a midfielder like Grealish, a player who breaks the lines, takes the field, maybe wins a free kick, makes something happen. The question is whether Gareth Southgate can accommodate him. The manager doesn’t wear a number 10 in his 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 systems and has said he doesn’t see Grealish as a number 8. Which leaves him fighting for one of the wide-forward spots. , where England have genuine strength in Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Southgate played Grealish down the left in a 3-4-3 win against Wales in what was an inexperienced and experimental lineup. Although Sterling is injured, Sancho and Rashford hope to return for Sunday’s glamorous Nations League tie against Belgium at Wembley.
“I had a long talk with the coach at last camp,” says Grealish, with a nod to the September internationals when he made his substitute debut in the 0-0 draw against Denmark. “It’s good for that, it lets you say what you think. I said, ‘I see myself playing as England’s No. 8, as No. 10, as a left or right back. Wherever I am on the field, I will play. I couldn’t care less where I play.
“There is so much talent in the forward positions and it will be difficult to get into those positions. I have full respect for those guys and the numbers they have. But I also respect the ability I have. In the last two or three years, I have played half of my games in the band and half of my games as a number 8 or a number 10. I fully believe that I can do both in the future. I think the manager knows by now. “
Grealish doesn’t seem to want to be confident, but he can tell the story of when, at age 15, he passed out due to nervousness at a trial in England.
“I woke up in the middle of the night, went to the bathroom, and my roommate, who was Diego Poyet, Gus Poyet’s son, heard a bang and then I woke up in the bathroom,” says Grealish. “Obviously I had broken down. He didn’t want to go home the next day, but England said they thought it best if he did. “
Grealish went to play for the Republic of Ireland at the youth level, he qualified through his grandparents, but as he grew up, in his own words and as he has said before: “I realized that I am English.” He adds: “Everybody knows that one of my long-term goals was to make the England team and play for England. Now that I’m here, I want to cement my place. I was absolutely desperate to come here. “
Grealish talks about how he goes “with the flow”, how he tries to “not let my nerves get to me” or get bogged down with something. It’s about expressing yourself and being in the right place to show it, a bit like it was for Paul Gascoigne, with whom he has drawn comparisons.
“I would love to be like Gazza,” says Grealish. “He played with such joy and that’s what I want to do. One of the biggest compliments people can give you is that you make them happy watching soccer. “
A feature of Wales’ game was the frequency with which Grealish was fouled, but this is nothing new to him. Last season, he was fouled in the Premier League 177 times (Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha was next with 133) and it’s because he constantly demands possession and is prepared to risk it. He wants opponents to pounce, almost dares them to do so. In deeper areas, Southgate said he saw him as a “matador” with the ball as a cape.
“Some of the guys said, ‘We’ve never seen anyone get kicked as much as you do,’” says Grealish. But I do enjoy it. Getting kicked means I’m doing something right. “
These are heady days for Grealish, with Liverpool’s game, according to him, being one that “doesn’t happen often in your life as a footballer, it was crazy.” He knows how good he can be. The search now is for consistency.
“I’m capable of these kinds of performances,” says Grealish. “The goal is to do it every weekend, like some of the players on this team: Harry Kane, Raheem, Marcus. It’s the standard these guys set. You just have to look at Harry Kane. He’s first in boot camp, he’s first in meetings. He’s the last one out of training camp, he’s practicing his free throws and finals, every day. It’s no wonder he’s one of the best forwards in the world. It makes you want to go back to Villa and set those standards. “
