Jack Grealish, Manchester City’s coolest kid, teaches Liverpool a lesson | Barney Ronay


Pep Guardiola’s charisma magnet is in mesmeric form, but predictable Liverpool should not be this easy to work out

Is anyone in Britain currently having more fun than Jack Grealish? Two minutes before the end of this 4-1 annihilation of Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium Grealish left the pitch to a standing ovation, met by a tender, oddly sensual full body hug from Pep Guardiola, who for a while just wouldn’t let him go, patting his buttocks, whispering in his ear, hungry for Jack love.

It isn’t hard to see why Guardiola likes Grealish. He has a way of turning mavericks, flashy destroyers, skill poppets into team cogs. And Grealish does things Pep likes, holding the ball as well as anyone, providing control and a safe space on the left. Also, isn’t there just a little bit of nerd-love for Pep’s hype man, his charisma magnet, the coolest kid in the class?

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