Pep Guardiola Says The Problem With Football Is Obsession With People Defining A Player Based On Statistics Alone

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the obsession with people defining a player based on statistics alone is a big problem in football.

The Spaniard was speaking about Jack Grealish at a recent press conference when he brought up the issue of players overanalysing their overall numbers and goal contributions.

Grealish, who joined the Citizens from Aston Villa last summer in a British record £100 million deal, has scored three goals in 25 games for the Premier League side this season.

Guardiola, however, is happy with Grealish's performances. In fact, the former Barcelona boss has urged the midfielder to focus on his football instead of the noise surrounding his output.

"Maybe he listened too much to what the people say and it’s wrong," Guardiola said at a recent press conference.

"We always talk about the statistics. Players today play for the statistics, but this is the biggest mistake they can do.

"Statistics are just a bit of information that we have, but there are players that make the team play good and are not in the statistics. Players say, 'How many goals did I score or how many assists'… this is the problem.

"These statistics never existed before. It’s how you play if you perform to your maximum, to your best, help your team-mates to make the process defensively and offensively better, that is enough. Thanks to that we are going to win."

The 51-year-old went on to claim that Grealish will rediscover his goalscoring form in the future. "He plays quite similar to Aston Villa in terms of ball contact," added Guardiola.

"He had the chances against Crystal Palace in 20 minutes to score three goals. It didn’t happen, but it’s going to happen.

"We didn’t buy him to score 45 goals. He doesn’t have that quality but he has another one. He’s playing good, really. I wouldn’t tell you if he’s not playing good, but that’s not the case."

Back in December, Grealish admitted adjusting to Pep Guardiola's methods has been more difficult that he anticipated.

“It’s been a lot tougher than I expected,” he said in an interview with The Telegraph.

“At first, I believed I’d receive more touches on the ball, more assists, and more goals, but that’s not the case. I haven’t got nearly as much time on the ball as I did at Villa.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve suffered, but I did find it difficult to adjust to at first. I haven’t had as many assists or goals as I did last season, but I never question myself.”