Jack Grealish admitted he is "more structured" at Manchester City than he was at Aston Villa, but believes it is an inevitability of playing with "so many great players".
Grealish moved to City from Villa in 2021 for a record £100million fee, but has struggled to have the same impact he did at his boyhood club.
The 27-year-old has come in for some criticism in the media, though replied with a goal and a strong performance in Saturday's 3-0 win at Wolves.
Kevin De Bruyne recently stated his belief that his club team-mate is more harshly judged because of who he is, and Grealish somewhat agrees.
"I can see where he's coming from a little bit," he said at a press conference ahead of England's Nations League clash against Italy. "But I think that's the way it is in this country, especially for myself playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world who are winning trophies every single year.
"When I have the price tag I do on my head people are going to want to talk... I have to embrace it and it's just part and parcel [of the game] really."
Grealish has completed 11 dribbles in all competitions for City this season in just six appearances. Only Joao Cancelo (10 appearances) has completed more with 17.
He also spoke of his relationship with Pep Guardiola, and his "structured" role at the Etihad Stadium.
"It’s completely different than the way I was at Villa," Grealish said. "At Villa I was more free, here I'm more structured.
"I have a great relationship with the manager. I've said it in many interviews, its unbelievable the way he thinks and looks at football. He's just obsessed with it and I think you can see why. I have a good relationship with him.
"People might be saying that I have been playing different than the way I used to but I think that's because of the different players I'm playing with as well. I've played with so many great players... It's going to change my game."
One of those "great players" is Erling Haaland, who has hit the ground running at City after arriving from Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, scoring 14 goals in 10 games so far.
"Everywhere I go people are like 'What's he like?' and I can't speak highly enough of him," Grealish added.
"He's an unbelievable player and a brilliant person. So humble for what he's achieved already and I think I could get something from him. His mindset for scoring goals is just unbelievable."
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
Guardiola insists three teams still in title hunt despite Liverpool slip-up
Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool remain in the Premier League title race, despite the Reds losing further ground on Arsenal and Manchester City in a dramatic few days at the summit.
Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, a result which meant they failed to close the gap to Arsenal after the Gunners thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.
While Jurgen Klopp's men couldn't respond to the Gunners pulling clear, City did on Thursday, with Phil Foden scoring twice in an emphatic 4-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
One point behind Arsenal with a game in hand, City know five wins from their five remaining matches will seal an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight title.
However, Guardiola expects further twists and turns in the coming weeks.
Asked if Liverpool were still in contention after City's win, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Yeah. Many things can happen.
"What happened with Liverpool, losing to Crystal Palace and Everton, can happen to us. It can happen to Arsenal. No-one is safe. We have to rest. Now it is just about recovering for the next one.
"We have been here in the past but being here in the past doesn't mean it is going to happen. We have to do the things to make it happen."
City's comprehensive win – in which Kevin De Bruyne scored his first headed goal in the Premier League – saw them cut Arsenal's goal difference advantage to eight goals.
However, Guardiola believes it will be tough for City to close that gap, saying: "It is difficult to cut. The margin is so big. They score a lot of goals and don't concede.
"The main thing is to win the games. We have five games left and they are tough ones – it's a lot of games. We'll take it one game at a time."
Foden's first goal against Brighton – a deflected free-kick – saw him become just the third player to score 50 top-flight goals under Guardiola while aged 23 or younger, after Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
Foden is the favourite to be named Premier League Player of the Season, and while Guardiola believes he should be in contention, he says his player is more concerned with team honours.
"For sure, but he wants to win the Premier League," Guardiola said when asked if Foden deserved individual honours. "His influence in the final third was better than in the last two or three games. Today he was more calm, his decision-making was good and to score goals is always good."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
