Gary Neville reacts as Kyle Walker ‘torn to shreds’ for Man City by Tottenham
Kyle Walker was “torn to shreds” early on for Man City as they slipped to a 2-0 deficit to Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, in the eyes of Gary Neville.
After a dominant first ten minutes from Pep Guardiola’s side, the visitors were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes thanks to a double from James Maddison on 23rd November.
Both of those goals were finished down Walker’s right-hand side of defence, and Spurs very nearly had a third down through that route shortly after.
With 28 minutes on the clock, Dominic Solanke slipped past the 34-year-old to latch onto a Son Heung-min pass, only to see his shot tipped over for a corner.
Neville was left thoroughly unimpressed with Walker following that run of play, and speaking about the Man City man on commentary for Sky Sports (5.59pm), he said:”Rico Lewis and Kyle Walker have been picked on this side to solidify against Son, [Destiny] Udogie and [James] Maddison. They’re getting torn to shreds, and pulled apart.
“Solanke, just gets his shot away quickly, just gets his shot away quickly, just right above the goalkeeper.”
Concern may be growing for Man City over Kyle Walker
Football Insider Opinion
It does feel like moments like this will be getting more worrying for those at The Etihad, after Tottenham attackers overran the home side.
For so long, Walker and his side have been able to rely on his pace to get him and his teammates out of trouble with those balls in behind.
More recently though, he does not seem to be able to deal with those as efficiently for Man City.
That was also evidenced at the opposite end of the pitch early on in the game when he was unable to latch onto a ball into the box, even after straying into an offside position.
Given he is now 34-years-old it is understandable that his pace is not what it once was, as he approaches the latter stages of his career.
With the club obviously wanting to compete for the very biggest trophies in football, you have to wonder in that case, how much longer Pep Guardiola can continue to rely on him.
As a result, this first-half may have given those at Man City more to think about, than just the scoreline on the pitch.
In other news, Pep Guardiola has outlined his stance on his future if Man City are relegated as a result of their 115 charges.
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