Thierry Henry has been left furious with Jack Grealish for his role in Manchester United’s equaliser in Sunday’s derby, with the Arsenal legend taking aim at the winger’s reluctance to attack
Thierry Henry has hammered Jack Grealish for his role in Manchester United’s first goal in Sunday’s Manchester derby.
City were leading with just a few minutes of the game remaining when Matheus Nunes sent an ill-judged backpass towards Ederson. Amad nipped in to steal the ball with Nunes then charging into the United star and gifting the visitors a penalty from which Bruno Fernandes equalised.
But Arsenal legend Henry picked out a moment earlier in the phase of play that ultimately led to the goal. With City attacking, Grealish picked up the ball out wide, with Fernandes moving up to close him down.
Rather than taking on the United skipper though, Grealish turned and passed backwards, with the ball eventually finding its way to Nunes in the right-back spot. That moment left Henry furious and he savaged the winger for his reluctance to go forward.
“That was at home and I screamed. I did scream because that’s not the Jack Grealish I saw at Villa, that’s not the Jack Grealish I saw arriving at Man City,” Henry told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show.
“Regardless of the time, regardless of what it is, regardless of where you are, when the ball comes to you here, and I see Bruno Fernandes coming and maybe Gundogan making a run, all I’m trying to do at that moment, is you take the ball and you square in.
“You square in and see what’s going to happen. I don’t know if I’m going to dribble past him. You don’t just go the other way. You want to stay here, here want to possess the ball. It’s minute 86 or 87, why do you want to invite them to your half?
“You want to stay here. Especially you and what you used to do. I’ll be honest, sometimes the coaches do the thinking for the players, maybe too much. But I don’t care at that moment you are on the ball, you have to decide.
“You need to feel the game. You can’t always turn and say ‘my coach told me’. They go back, why? They go back, why? Again and again and obviously Man United will push. Why are you inviting them to come when you were in the one v one situation?”
City have now won just one of their last 11 games and have fallen to fifth in the Premier League. And boss Pep Guardiola has admitted he currenrly doesn’t have an answer for their dreadful form.
“Not much to say. No defence, they were incredibly persistent. We have not lost eight games in two seasons. We can’t defend that. It’s not about this or that player. We gave away goals, our fault. We don’t play with composure,” he said.
“The results are not good, the game was not exceptional. I know the situation, I understand but the reality is this. I am not good enough. I am the boss, the manager, I have to find solutions and so far I haven’t. That’s the reality.”
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