Manchester City winger Jack Grealish was only on the pitch for 22 minutes against Atletico Madrid last night but he was fouled a remarkable five times.
The 26-year-old frustrated his opponents by drawing free kicks, but supporters on Twitter were scathing, not only because of the cynical football that their opponents employed, but also their general attitude on the pitch:
Probably wanted to play with his hair
β π.ππ¨πππ³ π§πΌπ΅π°β‘οΈ (@Abdul_Moeez4) April 6, 2022
Atletico players everytime they watch Grealish coming pic.twitter.com/B7J1rG7BPO
β Andreas Kazakeos (@AndreasKazakeo) April 6, 2022
they’re jealous with Mr. Gucci
β ygy (@YogaCahya_) April 6, 2022
Atletico Madrid players when they see Grealish pic.twitter.com/LEjt1E1YUe
β City Cooking Oil (@CityCookingOil1) April 6, 2022
Atletico players acting like overgrown toddlers pitching a hissy fit. Absolute π© team.
β Mink (@minksfootie) April 6, 2022
They were mocking his hair because they were losing, idiots π
β sertzio π¦π± (@sertzioFUT) April 6, 2022
Mr Gucci rattling the terrorists. We love to see it @JackGrealish π
β ππ (@phiIlfoden) April 6, 2022
2nd leg grealish will be pivotal…
Loved a little payback yesterdayβ nduchez (@nduchez29) April 6, 2022
@PepTeam please play Jack next game, let him hold the ball and get fouls and waste time. Just want to see how frustrated bus team players will get.
β SAN MIN HTEIN (@sanminhtein16) April 6, 2022
Atletico are notorious for their win at all cost mentality under the management of Diego Simeone, but their antics can be pretty unsportsmanlike at times.
Getting a 1-0 advantage heading into the Champions League quarter-final second leg next week was vital, but the tie is far from over. Atletico will make things just as difficult, if not more so, at the Wanda Metropolitano.
With the La Liga champions needing a goal, though, you would hope that it will give City more space to exploit. Their opponents can’t really afford to play a 5-5 system again!