Grealish or Maddison
The most recent, constant debate between two England players is between Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Leicester’s James Maddison. I haven’t tweeted about it but after discussing it with friends I thought I’d quickly write down some thoughts.
This tweet started a good discussion about a type of player. Maddison and Grealish were both common answers so made me think about the debate.
My general thoughts are that Maddison is the more talented and gifted footballer with more technical ability. But, if I’m a manager drafting a team from Premier League players I’d rather have Grealish in my side. I think that they’re different players playing in different systems and the debate isn’t really necessary.
Grealish is versatile, dynamic and creative. He’s stronger mentally, more combative and agressive. I think he can have a larger impact on a match. Obviously he’s technical as well, but overall I think if you watch Maddison’s individual ability you’d be more impressed.
Maddison is an excellent set piece taker, but he is constantly praised for creating chances and creativity, but 49% of his key passes this season have come from set pieces, creating just 1.4 chances from open play p90. Compared to Grealish who creates 2.6 chances p90 and only 11% of those come from set pieces.
Set piece dependance is something I like to look at and think is relevant. For example, Gylfi Sigurdsson went to Everton for £45m. He’s seen as creative player after getting 10+ assists for Swansea in consecutive seasons. But 62% of the chances he’s created this season have come from set pieces. He offers more to his game than just chance creation and is a great set piece taker. But, £45m is a lot for a player whose main purpose is set piece taking. There’s better value if you want someone for that.
Overall, both are great players who are great options for England. Although they offer different things and I’d personally be more likely to have Grealish in my starting XI. Especially when you already have a great set piece taker in Alexander-Arnold. I think the debate isn’t necessary but that’s how I look at the question.
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