Referee Michael Salisbury’s halftime whistle acted as a trigger for Pep Guardiola, who darted onto the pitch in a surprising direction.

Guardiola approached Kevin De Bruyne near the penalty area, evidently eager to address something immediately rather than waiting for the dressing room. The two shared an embrace, with Guardiola patting his captain’s waist while expressing gratitude. His appreciation stemmed from De Bruyne’s defensive work moments earlier, disrupting West Ham’s momentum and preventing a potential goal before halftime. Guardiola prizes effort, but only the smart kind.

De Bruyne’s actions—breaking up play and winning a free-kick to slow the tempo—mirrored what Jack Grealish has excelled at in the past. Yet, Grealish now finds himself watching from the bench. The winger, at 29, faces a crossroads in his career at City and beyond, as his impact diminishes.

While De Bruyne delivered intelligence and grit, the rise of Savinho casts an even greater shadow over Grealish’s struggles. Savinho contributed two assists against West Ham, building on another at Leicester the prior weekend—already surpassing Grealish’s single Premier League assist since the start of last season. Notably, Grealish has amassed that solitary assist across 1,578 minutes of play.

Pep Guardiola found himself on the pitch, seeking out Kevin De Bruyne near the penalty area for something that clearly could not wait for the dressing room after Saturday’s 4-1 win over West Ham

Guardiola gave Jack Grealish a kick up the behind post-match in what felt like pointed remarks

Grealish’s game is not all about numbers, but here is a stark comparison with a rival for the same position in City’s front line.

And Guardiola gave Grealish a kick up the behind post-match in what felt like pointed remarks when asked if Savinho’s form could be a catalyst for the England man to get back to his best.

‘It’s easy,’ Guardiola started. ‘As much as he looks at himself, he will see the competition. He has to compete with himself. Savinho is in better shape and everything than Jack and that’s why I played Savinho.

‘I want the Jack that won the Treble. I want it. But I try to be honest with myself for that. What happened with Savinho’s delivery in the box? It’s higher than the other wingers in that position.

‘And they have to fight. You can say, “OK, it’s unfair”. If you think that, then it’s fine. But you have to prove, “I’m going to fight with Savinho, to deserve to play in that position”. Every single day, and every single week and every single month.’

Every single day. Fight against himself. There aren’t even any lines to read between here. As City look to add Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush to their squad this month, a player who can operate wide as well as through the

Guardiola insisted he ‘doesn’t have any doubt about the quality of Jack [Grealish]’

middle, the message could not be clearer for Grealish, somebody who was so integral to the club’s greatest campaign.

Grealish spoke candidly last season about struggling with the post-Treble comedown, and there had been vague references to training levels. That should be long in the past and the expectation was he would hit the ground running this time after the heartache of missing out on England’s Euros squad — especially after putting himself through rigorous off-season training.

He hasn’t, finishing only one of his six league starts, and now comes the time for him to stand up. If not, others will pass him.

‘I don’t have any doubt about the quality of Jack or any of these players. They would not be here otherwise,’ Guardiola added. ‘At 3pm, they have to be at their best. It’s not about what they have done or will do, it’s about 3pm.

‘I know he can do it because I saw him, I saw his level and I want that, every single training session and every single game. If not, Savinho… is there anyone in this room (who thinks) Savinho doesn’t deserve to play right now? No. He deserves it. That’s why I play him — because he produces.’

Grealish performed fairly well in the defeat at Aston Villa on December 21 before being described as ‘not fully fit’ for the Boxing Day draw with Everton.

Savinho was influential in creating chances for Erling Haaland in the thrashing of West Ham

Guardiola refused to believe City are back to their best yet as they recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since October

Savinho and Haaland have began to form an understanding that can get the club back to winning matches consistently

Guardiola talked about how ‘almost all’ of City’s players want to ‘fight’ to arrest these mixed performances — and this was mixed, despite the scoreline — while praising Nathan Ake for playing through the pain barrier for a third straight game. Savinho appears to be another stepping up, steaming straight through an open door with others missing.

‘I’m still adapting, I don’t speak English,’ said the Brazilian. ‘When I start speaking English, I’ll be comfortable in the group.’

His link-up with Erling Haaland, setting up both of the Norwegian’s goals, is definitely something to harness. ‘He understands me and I understand him,’ Savinho added. ‘I usually pass the ball to him because I know he won’t waste it and he’ll score. Whenever he’s in the area, I’m always looking to get the ball to him.’

More of that and City win more games — and Grealish will have to be content to watch on.