Why did Jack Grealish miss the Man City v Liverpool match?

Jack Grealish missed Manchester City’s Premier League clash against Liverpool due to illness.

The winger was a shock omission from the squad when the teams were announced an hour before kick-off, with sickness meaning he was not involved at the Etihad. Grealish has played in seven of City’s 12 league matches this season and was involved in the England squad over the international break, playing in Monday’s 1-1 draw against North Macedonia.

Grealish wasn’t the only player missing for City. Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes both picked injuries over the international break which prevented them from being named in the matchday squad, and City selected a 20-man group against Liverpool that included three goalkeepers.

But Ederson, Nathan Ake and Erling Haaland, all of whom were injury concerns ahead of the game, were named in the starting XI. John Stones was also a surprise inclusion, a little over two weeks after Pep Guardiola said the England international would be out for a ‘while’ with a hip issue.

Sergio Gomez was another returning player named in Saturday’s squad, having missed the last four matches with a knock.

City selected Ederson in nets against Liverpool, ahead of a back four of Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. In midfield, Rodri was named in the team despite suffering from a knock over the break, with Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez also named. Haaland’s selection was a huge boost for City and in Grealish’s absence, Jeremy Doku started out left, while Phil Foden played on the right.