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‘It’s all fun and games’: Jack Grealish insists it’s ‘nice when fans give him a stick’ after Chelsea fans booed him during Manchester City’s 1-0 win on Thursday.
Jack Grealish has revealed how he accepts abuse from opposition supporters, and delights in replying.
The Manchester City winger proved instrumental during Thursday night’s 1-goal win at Chelsea that brought the Premier League champions within five points of leaders Arsenal.
Grealish was met with taunts from the home fans at Stamford Bridge, something he often receives when City play away from home.
Jack Grealish (centre) has admitted that he revels in the abuse he receives from opposition fans.
Grealish set up Riyad Mahrez (left) for his goal in Man City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Thursday
The 27-year-old was constantly booed by Leeds United supporters over the Christmas period and ended up clapping on all four sides of Elland Road in response when Pep Guardiola retired him.
‘It’s nice, isn’t it when the fans are beating you up?’ he said. ‘At the end of the day, it’s all jokes, right? They give us a lot of stick, so you have to give it back, it’s all a laugh, isn’t it?
“I was there when I was on the home team and the home fans were giving one of the visiting players a stick, so it’s all fun and games.” I like.’
The England star (right) said it was “all fun and games” when he was given a stick by opposition fans.
Grealish admitted the result against Chelsea was ‘massive’ as Man City chased Arsenal
Grealish has been criticized for a lack of goal contributions since his £100m move from Aston Villa, but he has crucially retained his manager’s confidence. He has now registered three assists in his last three games.
Guardiola revealed how Grealish’s body language was consistently encouraging, even when unselected, and that he has a vital role to play within the team as they battle on four fronts ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup clash against Graham Potter’s Blues.
Although attention is diverted from the quest for the club’s fifth league title in six years this weekend, Grealish believes they are poised to topple Arsenal.
The two sides meet for a showdown at the Emirates Stadium next month.
“We just have to try to catch them and try to win as many games as possible and get on a little winning streak,” Grealish said.
‘I’m sure if we do, we’ll be ready to pounce on [them] if they slip
City are five points behind Arsenal and Grealish said they were “ready to attack” any slip up.
‘We are second at the moment, but the only thing we can do is keep winning games and putting in good performances.
‘Chelsea was huge, honestly. We’re chasing Arsenal and I don’t want to go into that too much, but that’s what we know.
“We have incredible players in those forward positions, so we know we’re not going to play every game, but we have to be there and ready when called upon.”