The room goes silent when Jack Grealish enters, but he immediately warms it up.
“Hello mate!” he said, in his inimitable cheerful Brummie tone.
He shot for PUMA’s new “Forever.Faster”. campaign, but there’s been no obvious drop in energy and her trademark hairstyle remains in tip-top shape.
Looking back, his attitude was revealing. His interview with Aerial sports in Manchester took place shortly before his return to action following a six-week spell out due to a groin injury.
A few days earlier, Man City confirmed their return to training; four days later, on 31 March in the 0–0 draw against Arsenal, he made his first Premier League appearance since 10 February.
The 28-year-old has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Man City so far this season.
On Instagram, he posted photos of his road to recovery. “Lonely month for my return,” reads the caption.
“When I’m injured I start watching clips of myself and I remember the good times I’ve had in football. It reminds me of my love for football,” Grealish said.
“There’s nothing better. It’s what I’m used to and it’s what I’ve done my whole life, so when I’m stuck inside while the team practices for a month or six weeks, it’s sometimes difficult.
“Being injured definitely gave me that extra motivation to come back and play well again and try to succeed with City. I’m delighted to be back and hopefully I can finish the season strong.”
The slogan of PUMA’s new campaign is “See The Game Like We Do”. In recent years, social media and mind-blowing documentaries have gone some way to satisfying the thirst of football fans around the world for a glimpse into the world of elite players and what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
This hunger is eternal. The more content there is, the more it is searched for.
So how does Jack Grealish view the game?
“I see things in a positive way, being an attacking player and loving football the way I love it,” he continues.
“My game is all about creativity and taking risks with the ball, whether it’s dribbling at players, assisting or scoring goals.
“I’m more of a spontaneous player. I go with the flow and whatever happens at that moment, I react to it at that moment.
“I like to watch clips of myself before matches, but not to visualize moments, but rather to remind myself of good memories and fill myself with a bit of confidence.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
“We get iPads before games to see the opposing defender we’re playing. So I know if he’s left-footed or right-footed, how he likes to play and what his strengths and weaknesses are. Apart from that, I wouldn’t don’t say that I visualize situations.
Mentality is a buzzword in football these days, and with Pep Guardiola – one of the game’s great thinkers – as manager, Grealish knows the value of a strong mindset on the pitch.
It’s undoubtedly what helped him regain a place in City’s starting XI, with the 28-year-old playing the full 90 minutes in two emphatic wins over former club Aston Villa and Crystal Palace earlier this month. .
Kevin De Bruyne’s two sublime finishes made headlines in the latterBut Grealish played a starring role, with a key role in all four of City’s goals in the 4-2 win at Selhurst Park.
“Being mentally strong is one of the most important things you have to be. It’s one of the main things about playing for a big club like City,” he says.
“It’s good to take the ball when it’s 3-0 or 4-0, but it’s those times when it’s 0-0 and you’re playing away – whether it’s at Anfield or somewhere where the fans are on you – to take the ball and want the ball in those situations.
“One thing that’s quite important at City and we talk about a lot is focusing on the next game. All you can really do is focus on the next game.”
He’s conscious of maintaining that presence of mind once he crosses the touchline and heads home as well.
“Nowadays you can have a bad game and it can be all over social media or in the newspapers. You look at the best players over the years, Messi, Ronaldo, that’s one thing they had more than anyone in the world.
“I’ve had times where I’ve gone through a tough time, and I’m playing with players now at City and for England who have had a lot of stick over the years and I know they don’t read anything anymore .
“Even now I don’t have Twitter because you see so many things there that you don’t need to see written about yourself. When you see or hear a lot of it, it can start to come to you. ‘spirit.”
As always, things are going well for City on two fronts in the final month of the season.
With four matches remaining in the Premier League, they find themselves in a three-way title race with Arsenal and Liverpool, while a second consecutive Manchester derby in the FA Cup final awaits them on May 25.
“I’ve said in many interviews that, for me, the team that I’m a part of now – and especially last year – it’s just incredible, the solidarity that we have. Over the years, he There have been so many top teams in the world. The Premier League has not done what we have done.
Saturday May 4 at 5:00 p.m.
Kick-off at 5:30 p.m.
“Even the City team in 2018/19, with David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, and the Man United team in 2008/09, with Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, none of those teams won the triple.
“It says a lot about our team because you can have all the talent in the world, but you also have to have the other side, like that unity on the pitch. That’s something we had so much and we have it I got it this season too.
“With the experience we have and the quality we have, we don’t really doubt ourselves.
“I feel like everyone knows how difficult it is to win a treble. We did it last year and it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in the football, especially after playing such a big role in it.
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“Go make history” | Kyle Walker’s pre-match chatter sparked Man City’s rout of Brighton in April
“I just want to finish the season strong, try to win every competition we are in at the moment.”
Grealish has high hopes for the final months of the season – and who can blame him? His return could hardly have come at a better time.
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