Kyle Walker, slowing up or fighting back

10 thoughts from the weekend

Walker needs to be a sprinter again. Kyle Walker has a personal mantra that “no one will ever beat me”, not for work-rate, will-power or speed. It’s an attitude that has driven a remarkable career, rising from a challenging estate in Sheffield to constant questioning of his ability. But Walker, at 34, has to accept that he is being beaten now. By Timo Werner in a race. By a safety-first approach to crossing, constantly wasting promising positions. He’s always been a reluctant crosser but it’s even more marked now. What’s happened to Kyle Walker? He didn’t deserve to be voted right-back of the Euros, surprisingly ahead of Dani Carvajal, but he was still a force, still an English champion with Manchester City again (his sixth), still England’s 11^th all-time appearance maker. Now this. Only Walker and City know whether his legs have gone.

Kyle Walker. Photo: Paul Ellis AFP via Getty Images.

One thing is certain: Walker’s sudden drop in form reflects City’s current plight. They’ve lost their speed, their spark and their way (having lost their compass in Rodri). They’ve lost their aura of invincibility. Walker has two choices: either slide away into retirement, focusing on his burgeoning media work and sorting out his complicated private life, or fight back. I know Kyle. Fighting back is his usual default position when challenged. City need that defiance. They also need Walker on the front foot again, winning races again, and taking a risk and putting in an early cross to Erling Haaland. Fight – or flight to Dubai. I hope it’s the former.

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More than man of the match. Omari Hutchinson was outside Portman Road chatting to family and friends when I walked past last night. I said “well played” for his outstanding performance in Ipswich Town’s draw with Manchester United and he waved a polite, friendly acknowledgement. Admittedly hardly a huge window into an individual’s character but still confirming all testimony from within Town of what a good character as well as good player they have in the 21-year-old attacking midfielder. Hutchinson’s Instagram is mainly stocked with pictures of him playing - his overwhelming passion and focus. He was the star of the show against United, scoring and causing constant problems with the intelligence of his movement. Bright future.

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Foxes never quit, but they do sack. Leicester City are usually more patient with managers and head coaches so the board clearly felt that Steve Cooper was not going to turn results and performances around, and was not going to convince some of the players of his tactics and philosophy. The pressure is now on the club’s great survivor, Jon Rudkin, their director of football. He has to get this next appointment right. It should be an attractive job. Good owners, fabulous training facilities, and a fanbase that simply wants to see a team that represents them proudly with identity, togetherness and work ethic. Graham Potter would be ideal. He may be looking for a team higher up the table but Potter can’t keep delaying his return to management; he’s too good to waste more time on the sofa at home. He needs to be out on the grass, rebuilding a team. Leicester could suit him; they’d accept a “project” manager like Potter, and give him time, if they could see the pathway ahead.

Potter would be a coup by Rudkin. He also has to improve recruitment. Centre-backs of the calibre of Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, Harry Maguire, Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu have never been properly replaced. Maguire and Fofana generated £150m and now Leicester have Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, the inexperienced Caleb Okoli and Victor Kristiansen (still only 21). Potter had Marc Guehi at centre-back when he coached England to the Under-17s Euros in 2017.

Cooper will be in demand. He’s hugely respected within the FA for his work with its age-groups. I once spent a morning behind the scenes at St George’s Park watching Cooper at work and he combined meticulous attention to detail with an ability to communicate his thoughts and game-plan simply to players. And they responded. Whether it was the tactical changes, the Nottingham Forest connection or simply Leicester’s squad not being good enough, Cooper’s gone. He’ll be back in a dugout soon enough. Rudkin needs to get Potter into the King Power dug-out or the fans may really turn on him.

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The bank of goodwill. Fans have a heart. From Stamford Bridge to St James’ Park via Anfield, Goodison and Old Trafford and other stadia they organise food banks. Those attending Newcastle United’s game with West Ham this evening can leave food or make donations outside the Strawberry pub on Gallowgate. Fans - home or travelling - invariably do. Manchester United have a match-day foodbank on Sir Matt Busby Way and their fans do vital work raising funds and donating food to disadvantaged local families. So it was disappointing to hear Manchester United fans at Portman Road singing “feed the Scousers, let them know it’s Christmas time”. It’s not banter. It’s mocking food poverty. It’s embarrassing their great club, their amazing Foundation which does such life-saving work in the community and those fans collecting food on Sir Matt Busby Way. United endure “tragedy chanting” against them and that needs calling out, too. But it’s no time for “whataboutery” when people are starving.

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Mo deserves the dough. Mo Salah is too professional and too principled a person to ease up simply if getting the contract from Liverpool he wants. You may have heard his current deal expires next summer when he turns 33. Salah told reporters after yesterday’s bravura display at St Mary’s that “we are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club. I'm probably more out than in”. That will alarm Liverpool fans, and should surely prompt FSG into action. It may well simply be about the length of the new deal. So give him a two-year deal with a year’s performance-related option. Don’t be fixated by age. Not all 30-something players are the same. Some have more miles on the clock, more dents in the bodywork, more engine issues. Salah has none of these. He's worth the investment by FSG. Because Salah guarantees a return: 12 goals and 10 assists this season confirms that.

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Pep talk. Player metrics are judged at many points in a game but some of the most revealing focus on their intensity of effort, including number of sprints, when their team are behind in added time and the cause is seemingly lost. Do they ease up, give up, or redouble their efforts? And so with managers. This current slump is the greatest challenge of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career. And this could prompt a response that reveals a strength in adversity that enhances Guardiola’s reputation even more. How does Guardiola lead the fightback? It has to be through his words. Pep talk. He has to make City players believe in themselves again.

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Dan the man. Dan James is blessed with so much pace but not always similar depths of self-belief. He’s fascinating to interview because there’s a really thoughtful character to unearth, a very focused professional, just slightly too diffident. It didn’t really work out for James at Manchester United and maybe that knocked his confidence. At 27, and an experienced Wales international, the Leeds United flier should believe in himself more because he’s a match-winner. In Sunday’s 4-3 thriller against Swansea, James created Manor Solomon’s first, forced Ben Cabango’s own goal and then released Willy Gnonto to take Leeds top of the madcap Championship. Dan James is a winner. He just needs to believe it more.

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Leader of the Wolves pack. Gary O’Neil believes in himself. He believes in his tactics. He believes in his players. That’s a very obvious message to transmit but it is at the heart of everything O’Neil does. Belief. It’s why Wolves have a chance. They believe in the manager and each other. O’Neil’s coaching and man-management has also brought even more out of Matheus Cunha. The Brazilian has more belief because of O’Neil. He has more impact because O’Neil has worked on his positioning, and also on the service such as Mario Lemina’s passing to Cunha. No wonder Cunha, O’Neill and Wolves have taken eight points out of 12 and believe they will rise up the table.

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Dejan vu. All over again. Dejan Kulusevski keeps delivering. Tottenham Hotspur’s No 21 has the key of the door to opposing defences whether he plays in central midfield or right wing. He was stationed on the right against Manchester City and caused Josko Gvardiol grief. He also dribbled through the centre, inflicting a nutmeg on Ilkay Gundogan. His changing positioning depending on the opposition reflects Ange Postecoglou’s smarts as well as the Swede’s own ability and versatility. Anyone compiling a Premier League Team of the Season after 11 games would have Kulusevski on the long-lists for central midfield and right wing.

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Teen machine. Ethan Nwaneri is still only 17 and looks at home in elite football. Mikel Arteta has been dipping Nwaneri in and out of the Arsenal side, giving him eight Premier League appearances all from the bench. Arsenal’s manager knows what’s best for Nwaneri, and sees him close up in training and is mindful of not overstretching the youngster, but he seems fearless. Nothing seems to faze Nwaneri, not size of stage or stature of opposition. He could have been used more when Martin Odegaard was out. Some players are mature physically and emotionally at 17, and just love playing. Nwaneri just wants to get on the field and play. He showed that against Nottingham Forest, coming on, playing a 1-2 with Raheem Sterling, and finishing cleverly between Matz Sels and his post. Nwaneri belongs at this level, and deserves some more minutes.

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Enjoy the week…