2 | Kyle Walker - 2023/24

[hilts]

Can't believe he's gone from Usain Bolt to Rick Holden in a week.

 

[TrentGrisham]

Falling asleep at the wheel too often.

Every dangerous United opportunity came from him ball-watching and not tracking his runner. On Mctominay's opportunity in the first half, he's appealing for the offside as the play is ongoing and then just completely runs past Mctominay more or less allowing him a free shot. In the second half, Rashford is right in front of him and gets in while he's ball-watching. Once again Walker ran right by him while jumping and turning his back. Luckily for us, Rashford is awful and in shite form.

I'm quite certain if Rico had performed defensively as Walker did today and has most of the season-he'd be getting pelters for it.

 

[nellyonthewing]

He was definitely a bit off it at times-but that's walker.

 

[SamBlue]

Falling asleep at the wheel too often.

Every dangerous United opportunity came from him ball-watching and not tracking his runner. On Mctominay's opportunity in the first half, he's appealing for the offside as the play is ongoing and then just completely runs past Mctominay more or less allowing him a free shot. In the second half, Rashford is right in front of him and gets in while he's ball-watching. Once again Walker ran right by him while jumping and turning his back. Luckily for us, Rashford is awful and in shite form.

I'm quite certain if Rico had performed defensively as Walker did today and has most of the season-he'd be getting pelters for it.

I am not sure I agree with you, we've ben relying on him for too long to cover 300 square meters when stating 60 yards from our goal. Something needs to give and he is not getting any younger.

 

[TrentGrisham]

I am not sure I agree with you, we've ben relying on him for too long to cover 300 square meters when stating 60 yards from our goal. Something needs to give and he is not getting any younger.

He's certainly lost half a step IMO but my biggest criticism of him and why I was against giving him the years he got wasn't more physical but mental. All the errors we saw today were mental errors.

It's why I continue to say it's worth playing Rico there because even if he gives up the same amount of opposition opportunities- at the least he's far more competent on the ball and contributes to our build-up and play in/around the opposition's final third far more.

On a side note, Kyle freely and publically exclaimed before he got the deal he wanted," it's all about the years" being wildly distasteful.

 

[TrentGrisham]

I know fellow Blue Mooners hate me for always coming back to him but if he's not shutting down his side of the pitch then how do the positives of his playing outweigh the negatives?

How many times has he fallen asleep this season on his side? All of United's chances came from his man, the Sheffield United goal, Brighton's goal, etc... and those are just the ones off the top of my head.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

He’s not playing badly but he keeps falling asleep. He had largely eradicated this from his game in recent seasons but it’s definitely crept back in this season. Also, would love to know his crossing success stats, they must be abysmal.

 

[ninjamonkey]

Second half, most of the team switched off on more than one occasion which is understandable given the score. he did the same and one of those times cost us. Frustrating it's cost us a clean sheet but can forgive that one and chalk it down to just sloppiness. can't be letting that creep into his game when we are not cruising though.

 

[Gigant]

Should rest against YB

 

[Haaland94]

We play him all the time, but for me, he is not the best choice for a lot of these games. We need him against the big teams, but we could really benefit from the build-up offered by Akanji/Stones/Lewis playing RB.