The lazy conclusion would be that the 2023/24 version of Jack Grealish is looking more like the 2021/22 version of Manchester City's PS100million man than the treble-winning 2022/23 version.

"He's one of the players who we couldn't have done what we did winning the treble like we did without him," said Pep Guardiola on Saturday, entirely correct in his analysis. Grealish returned from the World Cup with a point to prove, laying on two assists at Leeds, another at Chelsea, and scoring at Old Trafford.

After that, he started 15 Premier League games in a row, with City losing just once, and started every Champions League knockout game en route to the European Cup. He started the semi-final and final of the FA Cup and was integral to City's historic season. Now, he's back to scrapping for minutes off the bench, and Guardiola has identified what needs to improve.

Grealish only has two league starts all season - against Newcastle and Sheffield United. After a dead leg kept him out of three league games, he hasn't started since, playing just 28 minutes over three substitute appearances in the last three games. He was unused at Arsenal. He has one assist to his name all season.

Jeremy Doku was preferred on Saturday against Brighton, setting the Blues on their way as he left James Milner behind to set up Julian Alvarez for the opener. Both Doku and Phil Foden have more starts on the left-wing in the league than Grealish, as well as seven starts between them in all competitions on the right. Their versatility and directness are proving more valuable to Guardiola than Grealish's much-coveted control that was so necessary in the treble season.

Doku remains raw - he wasn't perfect against Brighton and when Guardiola saw control of the game slipping he called for Grealish. But Doku is the shiny new toy, with fans excited by his untapped potential. It's not a shock that supporters will quickly attach themselves to a player who only wants to take on his full-back time after time, leaving behind the reliable-but-predictable alternative like Grealish, who does the job but just can't do what Doku does.

That's not to say Grealish has permanently lost his place in the side, or that Doku will burn out and lose his place himself. The pair can complement each other, albeit rarely in the same XI at the same time. They are yet to start a game together, and have only shared 58 minutes of action on the same pitch, across three substitute appearances for one of the duo.

If Doku is the flash new supercar, Grealish is the expensive, comfortable, reliable model that won't let you down (and could even outlast the supercar when the novelty wears off or parts break down). Both have their uses, but Guardiola knows their strengths are opposite to each other.

"Both can play," said Guardiola after the Brighton game. "Jack is more controlled, he does not have this one-on-one speed but the control, the assists."

Guardiola also added that he opted for the pace and directness of Doku and Foden over the more controlled options of Grealish and Bernardo Silva, noting that Doku cannot sustain three games a week at the moment. For that game, it was a tactical decision, and Grealish can't argue with the results of the two starters ending up as City's two best players.

If Grealish faces a fight to win that battle more often, it seems both he and Guardiola are aware. "I spoke a few times with him and said step by step we're going to get to the best form and rhythm and help us to sustain," said the boss. "The season is long and we need him."

Last month, Guardiola challenged both to earn the shirt, saying: "Who's going to play more? It's who performs better. It's simple. Phil can play on the left, too. The guy who performs well and feels better will have more chance to play."

Doku and Foden are performing better at the moment. When the 'bigger' games come around, Grealish could well walk back into the side. For now, however, City's undroppable left-winger from last season has been dropped, and he must fight back to reclaim his place in the side.

He's done it before.