“He needs to train harder in order to get a spot in the squad-Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola explains the reason behind Jack Grealish lack of playing time

Pep Guardiola praised several Manchester City players, including Jack Grealish, following a challenging victory over Everton.

Before Erling Haaland’s brace gave the Blues their ninth consecutive victory in all competitions, they were frustrated for the first 70 minutes of their Premier League match at the Etihad. Haaland persevered for City, but Guardiola was concerned about the impact of the replacements.

In order to give the side that had been lacking some urgency, Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker both came off the bench in the second half. Bernardo Silva and Grealish also entered the game to support the team. Guardiola praised the additions and singled out Grealish for his recent absence from the squad.

“I love to win this type of game,” he stated. “We were aware of the challenge and discussed it; Everton is typically very difficult here, and we lost a lot of points.

“The body language was much better in the second half, something the public cannot express positively. We were grumbling in the first half because the players’ body language was poor and there needed to be better chemistry when they lost a ball.

“We read the spaces better in the second half. The first half wasn’t very good, but Jack, Bernardo, and Kyle all contributed a lot—especially Jack, who helped to keep the ball.

“Well deserved, and I enjoy winning these kinds of games despite the pain and difficulty of the situation.” Nothing is taken for granted, as evidenced by the way they honoured their accomplishments.”