Kyle Walker has moved to Manchester City for big money, but it might not be the right move for Pep Guardiola or the Tottenham man.
If you told a fan, or a pundit to note down the characteristics that set apart Kyle Walker from the rest, ‘fast’ would probably be first on the list. A close second, would be his stamina, his ability to run up and down the wing all day. Some would even go on to point out his ability in the air, an ability relatively rare in modern day fullbacks.
But, presumably (and justifiably) not many would call Kyle Walker a brilliant crosser of the ball, nor would they call him a great distributor of the ball. Just a gentle reminder, Manchester City have paid £50 million to sign the English international, according to the Guardian.
England’s Kyle Walker in action
Towards the back end of last season, Pep Guardiola complained about his full backs after a goalless draw against Manchester United. “We don’t have fullbacks to go up and down, up and down, because all of them are 33, 34 years old”, he said to Goal, referring to the number of times his teams were caught out by teams who specifically targeted the area vacated by them.
But, it is worth noting that Pep Guardiola uses his fullbacks very differently from your traditional football manager. He expects them to come narrow beside the defensive midfielder when their forwards are giving the team width and conversely provide width when their forwards are supporting the play in-field.
He used the tactic very effectively with David Alaba and Philip Lahm, and to a certain extent with Joshua Kimmich (towards the later stages of his Bayern reign). However, it is quite easy to see a pattern; all three players are capable of playing as midfielders.
Kyle Walker, now 27-years-old, has had his critics over the years. The biggest criticism of his game has undoubtedly been his decision making, the one thing which seems to be integral to becoming a successful Pep Guardiola full back.
Will he able to adjust his game, and add things to it sufficiently enough to suffice a manager who definitely won’t change his own? Sadly for the English international, the jury remains out.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
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