Kyle Walker makes his case for greatness against PSG

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Critics are quick to dismiss the Manchester City man as a mere speed merchant, but he is one of the game’s best full-backs

It was about 40 minutes into the semi-final on Wednesday night that Kyle Walker made the first of his trademark overlapping sprints up the right wing. You know the one: the classic jet-powered Walker burst that seems to possess a surreal comic-book quality. Cartoon smoke billows from him as he goes. Cars are hurled aside in his wake. A dweeby looking businessman gets coffee blown all over his suit. Manchester City were 1-0 down to Paris Saint-Germain, and with half-time looming, City’s all-action hero had finally decided to join the party.

That run came to nothing, but a minute later Walker nipped in front of Kylian Mbappé and produced the interception from which City generated their best chance of the game to that point. And from that moment, the pattern of the rest of the game – perhaps even the rest of the tie – seemed to have been set. Unshackled and unleashed by Pep Guardiola, City’s full-backs would seize back the initiative, tearing into last season’s beaten finalists and putting them on the verge of a first Champions League final.

Related: ‘No cheering’: Manchester City players were calm after PSG win, says Guardiola

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2021/apr/29/manchester-city-kyle-walker-makes-his-case-for-greatness-against-psg

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