http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...and-coach-Gary-Neville-improving-my-game.html Maybe not the real reason admittedly, but Walkers increasing lapses and apparent pause in his development has to have some sort of cause. And based on his positive public comments about club, new manager and teammates it doesn't appear to be because he is in any way unsettled. Could it be that - like so many other young starlets - he is starting to believe his own publicity and thinking he is a more complete player than he yet is. Now I am a big fan of Kyle and have great hopes for him - but there is clearly something not right with him this season so far and he needs to up his game - literally!! What do we think?
Been our weakest player by a mile. Really needs to up his game. If he thinks his defending is improving, he's more dellusional than a 'Pool fan!
If Neville is helping him in his defensive side of his game,then that can only be good for him and Spurs imo.
I think that he's had more to do this season, as we've not dominated as often as we did for the majority of last season, so he's been found wanting on several occasions. It sounds like he knows that he has to improve and that he's willing to work hard to do that and not get complacent. Walker's a more naturally talented player than Neville and he's more of an athlete too, but the Manc compensated for his technical frailties by learning the game inside out and working his arse off. He became the best player that he was capable of becoming, much as his brother did, and he's shown his knowledge and insight with his surprisingly impressive punditry. I can't think of anyone better to learn from, especially as he had virtually no off-field bullshit to distract him. This is a big season for the youngster. He hasn't started too well, he's fighting for a place in the national side and the U21s have important games coming up, too. He's got Naughton and Smith pushing for his place in our side and the likes of Richards, Johnson and even Jenkinson to compete with for England. Hopefully it'll push him on to better things and he'll rise to the challenge.
I have met Walker and he doesn't come across as arrogant or someone who is believing his own publicity, so personally I am inclined to dismiss that idea. Secondly, he is also frequently supporting h is team mates in the Next gen games (he watched all the home games last season), and he has watched the under 21's this season. He has had lapses of concentration in games and he's been caught ball watching a couple of times as well. The defensive side of his game has always been weak and if he's getting help from Gary Neville that is very good news.
That's good to hear OS - and as I said, all his public utterances are inevitably positive. Self-awareness is the key so I guess he has a head start to turn things around.
He had half a season in a pisspoor villa side, a whole season in our side and another 6 prem matches...that's less than 2 full seasons...I think the comments are a bit harsh considering his lack of experience and he is playing with his 3rd set of new players and 3rd club manager in this time.
Fair points, but I saw Kyle Walker play for QPR in December 2010 and I am not convinced he is a better defender now than he was then. I am sure he probably is, but at the moment he does seem to switch off at times.
I feel he's leaving too much work for himself to do, not reaching the player he should mark before slowing down and hoping he'll still be fast enough to intercept the pass to him. He started doing that towards the end of last year too. I'd like to see him get forward a bit less to save him enough energy for tracking back properly and also become more incisive when he does go forward, both he and Lennon tend to stop on the ball and wait for the other to make a run or the defender to make a challenge which doesn't usually come so the whole move loses momentum.
Definitely needs to work on his positioning. Fortunately, a lot of the time, his pace helps him recover bad situations... but that hasn't & won't be the case every time. As said, a bit of intensive work with Neville should do him good.
Expect clatterings, charging around after the ref and inciting Liverpool fans to feature prominently in his game from now on...
I also noticed he played too far off his man against Villa, though I don't know why. He doesn't seem at all dislikable. He's had less rest than any player on the team. Full games in the League Cup and Europa, and now he runs out for England. I don't think a very young man is physically exhausted, but he looks like he's lost a bit of eagerness and desire.
Walker is a big lump and should be using his weight to dish out some clatterings...starting with Hazard and Mata!
Agreed,when i played,i was a right back, the manager used to say whack them in the first few minutes,you will find out then if they fancy it or not
...and I would say that still stands today, top players can be made to disappear from games...it works on Bale!
Only really works on Bale if you keep doing it and avoid going in the book. Get your name taken and he generally smells blood, resulting in most sensible managers making a substitution. Walker's mentioned Jagielka being a childhood hero of his today, during his time at Sheffield United. Must be a real honour to play alongside someone that you looked up to as a kid, especially at international level. Nice to see that he still gets that it's a privilege and isn't too proud to admit to something that's sure to get a ton of stick for!
Yeah, he seems perfectly okay. What's called the sophomore slump over here fits his case perfectly. After the big breakthrough, the next year tends to be a step back. But the year after that is as good as the first or better.
I happen to hate the American overuse of the phrase "sophomore." If I had a billion dollars, I'd call up my local public radio station and offer them a million, as long as I never hear anyone on it refer to someone's second collection of music as their "sophomore effort." It's like fingernails on chalkboards.
Stop talking rubbish mate, I quite clearly mean a fair strong Sandro/Parker like challenge, let them know you're there...have you played football?
