Manchester City star Jack Grealish has dismissed any thoughts of winning the title against his former club Aston Villa and insisted ‘it’s not about me’.
City face Steven Gerrard’s Villa at the Etihad on Sunday knowing a win will secure their seventh Premier League title and their fifth in six seasons. Grealish signed for City in the summer from Aston Villa for £100m, the club he had joined as a six-year-old and made 213 appearances for across eight seasons for the first team. Grealish helped to inspire a comeback for Pep Guardiola's side during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at West Ham before Riyad Mahrez missed a late penalty which would have all but secured the title.
If he were to win the Premier League, it would be Grealish’s first major honour and, along with facing his boyhood club, Sunday’s game is full of narratives. Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is Villa's manager, while their side includes former Reds players Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho. Despite the various storylines, Grealish insisted he is not letting it distract him.
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He said: “It is not about me [versus Villa] or the opposition, it is about the team and the club. That is what I have got in my head. It is going to be a big day for this city and for this football club.
“Of course, we are going to be confident. We have got a great record at the Etihad this year and we have scored a lot of goals, so it is down to us. We have to just try and get the three points on the last day. Hopefully we can go and lift the trophy. All we can do is go out there and try to get three points so we can get our hands on the trophy. Of course, it will be a nice occasion for me, but it is about the team and we have a job to go out there and get three points. I am looking forward to it and I cannot wait.”
Grealish has received criticism for his lack of impact since his move with just three goals and three assists in 26 Premier League appearances. His goal on Sunday got City back in the game and the England international revealed what was the key for his side’s fightback. He said: “[At half time] he [Guardiola] was obviously positive with us as he always is and he gave us a good team talk. He just said we were dominating the game and dominating the ball, even though we were 2-0 down. It just shows the character that we have in the squad.
“We have got a lot of injuries, especially in defence, and we still came out in the second half and put in a great performance. Luckily, we got the two goals and we could have gone on to win it, but it wasn’t meant to be. I thought we actually played well. We dominated the game, dominated the ball. They had their fair share of chances and obviously scored two goals.
“In the end, it is one of those games where you wish you had won it, but at half-time I think we would have taken a draw. It was nerve-wracking even though it was fun for the viewers!”
