The remarkable return of the banned Jack Grealish

A successful return to school for England and Jack Grealish! This Saturday, the English team crossed the Irish Sea to visit their neighbors as part of the first day of the Nations League. Criticized for their wait-and-see approach at Euro 2024, despite reaching the finals, the Three Lions were expected to deliver at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Nevertheless, the plan of Lee Carsley, successor to the resigning Gareth Southgate, went off without a hitch. Despite the hostility of the crowd displayed on the sidelines of kick-off through the whistles heard during the English national anthem, the men of the 50-year-old coach had no trouble defeating the Boys in Green (0-2).

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Clearly superior to an Irish team that was too limited to compete, England made the difference during a first half in which they had control of the game and thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish. For the latter, this match was of particular interest. On the one hand, because the Manchester City player was facing an Irish selection in which he had played in the past, notably with the youth teams between 2011 and 2014. On the other hand, the Birmingham native was making his return to the national team. And for his reunion with the Three Lions, the Cityzen delivered a more than honourable performance. Starting as a relay midfielder and therefore far from playing in his preferred position, the 28-year-old player stood out with his availability between the lines and his sense of passing.

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Jack Grealish had a very bad summer!

Following in the footsteps of his compatriot Declan Rice, Jack Grealish played a major role in his team’s success. Found at the edge of the box, the England international showed efficiency in beating Caoimhin Kelleher with a shot from the flat of his right foot just off the post to make it two goals to zero. A real relief for the man concerned, whose future with the national team had clearly darkened in recent months. Paying the price for a mixed season with the Manchester club, his former coach Gareth Southgate had decided to exclude him from the final list for Euro 2024. An absence that was hard to accept at the time among the British press and the dressing room. Seeking revenge, Jack Grealish spoke about this painful episode.I need to start playing regularly, scoring goals, and that’s what I did today. I’m not 100% fit yet but I’m getting there, so from a personal point of view I’m happy.“, Jack Grealish said on the microphone of the BBC.

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Before continuing: “To go up to the fans at the end and hear them chant my name, listen, there’s no better feeling than playing for England, everyone will say the same thing, especially in games like this when you know the whole nation is going to be watching. Over the summer, it was one of the worst summers of my life because you can’t unsee everything that’s happening in front of you. It was tough but it gave me something to bounce back from.“In the process, the performance of the day of the number 10 of the Skyblues was praised by his coach. “Jack certainly has nothing to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today has done him the world of good, scoring another goal for England and I hope he can continue in that vein.“, added the former England U21 coach. A return that comes at just the right time for England!