UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers: 3 reasons why Jack Grealish deserves an England call-up

Will Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish be named in Gareth Southgate's England squad this week?
Will Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish be named in Gareth Southgate's England squad this week?

The final international break of 2019 is almost upon us, and with that in mind, England boss Gareth Southgate will name his latest squad this Thursday for the Three Lions’ upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kosovo and Montenegro.

Numerous players will be hoping to make it into Southgate’s squad, but one newcomer who definitely deserves a look-in this time is Aston Villa’s captain and playmaker Jack Grealish. The 24-year old was first linked with an England call-up back in 2015 when he broke into Villa’s first team, but after the club’s relegation, Grealish has had to work back into contention the hard way, through three seasons in the EFL Championship.

Now back in the Premier League, Grealish has made an impressive start to the 2019/20 season, and after much discussion about his England future, surely now is the time for him to be called up into Southgate’s senior squad.

Here are 3 reasons why Jack Grealish deserves an England call-up.


#1 He offers something different in a problem position for England

Grealish's statistics are superior to some of his rivals for an England spot
Grealish's statistics are superior to some of his rivals for an England spot

England have had a relatively successful 2019; while they failed in their quest to become the inaugural UEFA Nations League champions in the summer, they have won five of their six UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, and are now on the cusp of qualifying for next summer’s tournament. But Gareth Southgate’s side aren’t the finished article yet, and one area that tends to be identified for improvement is in midfield.

The Three Lions have scored plenty of goals recently – 26 in their six qualifiers thus far – but creativity in midfield remains somewhat of a problem, and the majority of their goals have come from quick breaks using wide forwards such as Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho. In the creative midfield spot, Ross Barkley has impressed at times but remains inconsistent, while youngster Mason Mount struggled to make an impact in the 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic.

It’s this problem spot that Grealish could fill. Despite only just returning to Premier League action, the Villa man has been extremely impressive thus far in 2019/20, and his statistics tell their own story. In 10 games, the 24-year old has scored 2 goals, made 3 assists and created 24 chances in open play – more than any other Premier League player outside of Kevin de Bruyne.

He’s capable of dribbling with the ball like few other English players; Grealish has averaged 1.9 successful dribbles per game thus far, superior to both Barkley and Mount (both 1.3), and he has also completed more key passes (25) than either Chelsea player, too.

Add in the fact that he has only averaged 1 unsuccessful touch per game and is rarely dispossessed, and it’s easy to argue that he’d be the best option for Southgate when it comes to England’s creative hub.

#2 He draws fouls like no other

Grealish's dribbling skills make him an expert at drawing fouls
Grealish's dribbling skills make him an expert at drawing fouls

England gained a reputation as set-piece specialists throughout their run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, and while their success from corners and free-kicks has dried up somewhat since then, one area they haven’t stopped scoring from has been the penalty spot. Three Lions captain Harry Kane is absolutely deadly from 12 yards, scoring 4 penalties in the current Euro 2020 qualifiers alone.

So why does this link to Jack Grealish? It’s pretty simple – the Aston Villa midfielder draws fouls like practically no other player in the English game right now. Grealish has been fouled a mind-boggling 41 times in Premier League action thus far in 2019/20 – more than any other player. And most interestingly, only Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha has drawn more fouls than him in the final third.

Grealish’s detractors would try to claim that he goes down a little too easily – it is true that he was controversially booked for a supposed simulation in Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace back in August – but the truth is that with such a skilful dribbling style coupled with surprising upper body strength, it’s just very tricky to stop him with a clean tackle.

Grealish dribbling at an international defence is something that we haven’t seen yet, but if his Premier League form is anything to go by then the Villa man has the ability to give any defender problems – and he’s more likely to draw fouls in key areas than any other player available to Southgate. With as deadly a penalty taker as Kane to call upon, Grealish’s ability to draw fouls could be a serious weapon for the Three Lions to call upon.

#3 He’s fully matured and would bring a cool head to the squad

Grealish is now far removed from the immature player who burst onto the scene in 2015
Grealish is now far removed from the immature player who burst onto the scene in 2015

Flashback a few years and the reputation that Grealish carried was very different to the one that we see today. A local Birmingham boy, Grealish burst onto the scene at Aston Villa in 2014/15 and immediately became a popular player with the fans – partially due to his skills on the pitch and partly due to his throwback image, with his slick hair, rolled-down socks and almost cocky attitude.

But that attitude appeared to be a disadvantage for him, and he soon found himself in hot water; April 2015 saw him pictured inhaling nitrous oxideAKA laughing gas – for recreational purposes, and later that year he was forced to train with Villa’s under-21 team following an incident that saw him go clubbing following a loss to Everton.

The 2015/16 season saw Villa relegated to the EFL Championship, and after two somewhat disappointing seasons there it felt for a while like Grealish would become a poster-boy for wasted potential. Somewhere along the line though, something changed. Grealish apparently admitted to club legend Dion Dublin that he needed to “get his head right”, and 2018/19 saw the emergence of a new, mature player.

After an injury layoff, Grealish returned to action with Villa in March 2019 and immediately became their key man; named club captain by boss Dean Smith, his performances helped the Villains go on a run of 10 straight wins that essentially took them all the way to the Premier League.

Most notably, in a local derby with bitter rivals Birmingham City, Grealish showed his maturity by shrugging off a shocking attack by a rival fan to score the winner in a key 1-0 victory.

With some of his rivals for an England spot showing some wayward tendencies as of late – Leicester City’s James Maddison was infamously photographed in a casino following his withdrawal from the last England squad with an illness – Grealish would bring a calm and mature head to Southgate’s squad, something that few could’ve expected a few years ago. Essentially, there’s no better time for him to warrant a call-up.

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Edited by Zaid Khan