Martin Keown believes ex-Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Walker might have saved Spurs from Champions League elimination.
Martin Keown has written in The Daily Mail that he believes Kyle Walker might have ‘rescued the situation’ for Tottenham Hotspur against Juventus if he was still with the North Londoners.
Tottenham looked on course for a quarter-final spot in the Champions League after Son Heung-min fired them into a 3-2 aggregate lead at Wembley, after the 2-2 draw in Turin.
But a quickfire double from Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala in the second half turned the tie on its head and the Italian giants wound up eliminating Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Keown has suggested that Kieran Trippier was partially to blame for Dybala’s winning goal, and claims that Walker, who joined Manchester City in a £50 million deal last summer, would have had the nous to save Spurs in the same situation.
“Basic, individual mistakes are what cost Tottenham. When Paulo Dybala scored the winning goal, Spurs’ back four should have been looking to drop back but Kieran Trippier did not,” he told The Daily Mail.
“I feel Kyle Walker – had he still been a Tottenham player – may have been able to rescue that situation.”
Pochettino has been alternating between Trippier and Serge Aurier for much of the season, but it’s clear that neither are on Walker’s level and you wonder whether the Tottenham boss could spend big on a top-quality right-back this summer.
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