**Manchester City have a new alternative to Rodri in the defensive midfield role, Pep Guardiola has suggested off the back of the club’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.**
The Premier League champions brought an end to a torrid seven-match streak without a win across all competitions on Wednesday night by dismissing of Nuno Espirito Santo’s men with relative ease in the end.
Bernardo Silva put Manchester City ahead with a finish from close range whilst Kevin De Bruyne would mark his return to the starting line-up with a goal of his own, with the scoring rounded off in the second-half through Jeremy Doku.
But one of the greater talking points around the performance was Jack Grealish’s new role in the central attacking areas of Manchester City’s midfield, to which he executed to perfection in the eyes of the majority of onlookers.
Speaking after the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola issued huge praise upon the performance of Jack Grealish in the heart of the team’s midfield compared to his usual wide role.
“Really good. He helped us with extra passes, composure, when he should accelerate he did, when he should be more composed and passes he has done it. He played really good, he fought, he helped us,” said Guardiola.
The Manchester City manager continued, “Hopefully in the next games, if I decide to play him in that position, he can be involved in the final third, being decisive in the passes for goals and assists. But he gave us what we needed.
“Our football was always built in midfield, the quality that makes our tempo, the way they have to play, and after the speed outside. But the control, Jack gave us that pace, when to accelerate, when to make more control – he did it brilliantly, he played really good, I’m so happy for him!”
Pep Guardiola also admitted that Grealish has all of the necessary attributes in order to play holding midfield for the club, before claiming that he has never had any doubts about the England international’s ability to play centrally.
“I know his quality,” Guardiola told reporters after the contest this week. “He has the ability to keep the ball, break the lines, and the composure. He played really good.”
Kevin De Bruyne also got in on the action in praising the performance of Grealish, as he told club media, “Jack is so good at controlling the tempo of the game, at holding the ball, you can’t really get it off him, and then sliding through players – that’s his quality.
“With the guys we have on the flanks, maybe he’s very good at that. We needed a bit more control, and he was able to do that with Bernardo, \[Ilkay\] Gundo, myself in the middle, and with Jeremy \[Doku\] – a very different player, very electric.
“So I think we performed well as a team, but I think Jack did exceptional!”
It remains to be seen just how long Grealish’s run in the centre of Manchester City’s midfield continues, with Premier League action returning immediately on Saturday afternoon with a visit to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.