Pep must ruthlessly drop Grealish to unleash Man City’s “very special” star

The past six games have been simply unfathomable for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have been on an abysmal run of form, and are currently winless in their last six games. Five of those have been defeats, with Tuesday night’s draw against Feyenoord the only game that wasn’t a loss. Even then, they threw away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3.

Things are not going to get any easier, with a trip to Anfield to face table toppers Liverpool on the cards this afternoon. Guardiola simply needs a response from his side, as they look to put an end to this shocking run.

The legendary Spanish boss will surely want his underperformers against Feyenoord to up their game against Arne Slot’s side.

Man City’s worst performers vs Feyenoord

One of the players who struggled most against the Dutch side was goalkeeper Ederson. The Brazilian has had a tough time of things this season, and the game against Feyenoord was no different.

One could argue the City number 31 was at fault for all two of the three goals. For the first, he was sold down the river by a poor backpass and allowed Anis Hadj Moussa an easy finish.

He failed to stop the cross for the second goal, and rashly missed a headed clearance for the equaliser, being caught in no man’s land. It was a hugely disappointing night’s work.

Josko Gvardiol also had a poor performance against the Dutch outfit, after a tough few weeks from a defensive standpoint.

The Croatian received a 4/10 rating from GOAL journalist Richard Martin, who explained he ‘made his worst blunder of a bad week’ to give the visitors a route back into the game. It was his mistake which led to the first goal.

Jack Grealish was another player who struggled against Feyenoord. In his first start since a return from injury, Grealish did not make an impact. As per Sofascore, he lost the ball 13 times, failed to complete a dribble from three attempted and hit the bar, with his shot deflecting off Phil Foden.

Guardiola is not afraid to make some shock selections, and he could drop Grealish for the trip to Anfield and give a start to one of the City academy’s most exciting players.

The Man City starlet who could start at Anfield

The player in question here is Cityzens academy graduate James McAtee. The young attacker has not had many opportunities this term, despite the fact he has finally broken into the first team under Guardiola after a few loan spells to Sheffield United.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has played seven times so far this term, getting a goal, his first in City colours, against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League.

His total number of appearances this season equates to half of the amount he has played for his boyhood club across his whole career. Frustratingly for McAtee, he has managed just 332 minutes in all competitions, and just one in the Premier League.

With that in mind, the City boss may not pick him based on current form, but the ability he showed during his two seasons on loan at Sheffield United. The Salford-born midfielder played 75 times for the club in both the Championship and Premier League.

Football presenter Dougie Critchley described McAtee as a “very special” footballer, and that was certainly on show during his two seasons with the Blades. He is a smart player, who thrives in small spaces and loves to carry the ball.

Starting McAtee ahead of Grealish at Anfield would certainly be considered a bold move by Guardiola. With that being said, the youngster is clearly a talented player and could be the catalyst City need to get themselves out of this poor run of form they are on.