‘Will any happiness ever come close?’ – Jack Grealish provides heartbreaking account of season struggles with Manchester City | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Jack Grealish has offered a heartbreaking account of his ongoing struggles this season, following on from the highs of last campaign’s Treble success.

Grealish and his Manchester City teammates followed a third successive Premier League title victory with an FA Cup and UEFA Champions League final success on successive weekends, equalling the Treble triumph of Manchester United in 1999.

For many of Manchester City’s players, the Treble victory will be the pinnacle of their professional playing careers, and for one player it appeared to take a long time to overcome the heights of those triumphs.

Speaking earlier this week, Jack Grealish offered a personal account of his struggles at various points this season, largely stemming from the exceptional highs of the Treble-winning season in 2023.

“At times this season I have struggled a little bit with myself and he (Pep Guardiola) has been there for me all the time. I owe him a lot. He’s a great person and the best manager to ever exist,” Grealish explained.

“It’s been a difficult season for me personally after the highs of last year. I spoke to the manager a lot and he’s been so good with me. I owe him a little bit and want to repay him now with my performances and the team as well.”

He continued, “I speak to my friends in the [dressing room] everyday, I know how important I am to the team. I speak to the manager and at the back end of last season you’ve seen how much the manager played me.”

Offering a reflection on the history-making successes of last season, in light of the release of Netflix’s documentary covering Manchester City’s triumphs, Jack Grealish pointed towards a ‘deep’ thought he has had regarding his top-level professional career.

“I finished the Netflix documentary last night and the last episode especially made me a bit emotional,” Grealish said. “It made me want to go and do it again and made me think, I know it’s a bit deep, but at the end of the day this is the youngest I’m ever going to be so to try and enjoy the moment because I’m not going to be playing Champions League for the rest of my life.”

As relayed by the Manchester Evening News, the 28-year-old continued, “It is difficult. You need that hunger. Sometimes you do sit there and think how can you ever top last year? Will any happiness ever come close to that?

“Sometimes you have to think if you do it again, go one step ahead or win something else then maybe that would top it.”

Jack Grealish has returned to Manchester City action in recent matches following his latest muscular problem, and appeared to perform to his highest standards in the 2-4 victory against Crystal Palace and 3-3 draw against Real Madrid.

The former Aston Villa captain offers a unique skillset to Pep Guardiola’s forward line, and from the viewpoint of many Manchester City supporters, a skillset that none of the Catalan’s other options can provide from the wide roles.

Jack Grealish’s ability to retain possession, draw fouls, and offer calmness and composure in the final third to construct attacks with patience is not replicated by many of his teammates, with left-sided option Jeremy Doku offering a more aggressive approach to attacks.