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Kyle Walker

Just out of curiosity what are all the examples of his wayward marking so far this season?

Last home game v West ham, the Vaz Te goal. Walker was caught way out of position. And please don't tell me that's because we were in the process of launching an attack, because his first obligation is to defend. Besides, the incipient movement that broke down was developing on the other side of the pitch. As a defender you don't leave your post until you're pretty sure it's safe to do so.
 
Last home game v West ham, the Vaz Te goal. Walker was caught way out of position. And please don't tell me that's because we were in the process of launching an attack, because his first obligation is to defend. Besides, the incipient movement that broke down was developing on the other side of the pitch. As a defender you don't leave your post until you're pretty sure it's safe to do so.

I disagree with just about all of that, but we probably wont' get anywhere discussing it.

A lot of qualifiers and explanations anyway, I really think you should be able to come up with more and better examples when you're describing someone the way you did.
 
And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Vaz Te playing as their lone striker? What made him Walker's man? Who was Dawson watching if our right back was supposed to be marking their lone striker when we were attacking?

Just writing the sentence that our attacking right back should primarily be concerned with marking their lone striker when we're attacking makes me shake my head...
 
And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Vaz Te playing as their lone striker? What made him Walker's man? Who was Dawson watching if our right back was supposed to be marking their lone striker when we were attacking?

Just writing the sentence that our attacking right back should primarily be concerned with marking their lone striker when we're attacking makes me shake my head...

He should have been guarding his flank, which was the area Vaz Te took up. Dawson does also has some responsibility, but in my book it was mainly down to Walker. Interesting that you should try to defend Walker in that situation, all reports I could find put it down to him.
 
He should have been guarding his flank, which was the area Vaz Te took up. Dawson does also has some responsibility, but in my book it was mainly down to Walker. Interesting that you should try to defend Walker in that situation, all reports I could find put it down to him.

'All reports I could find' is a cop out. People should make their own opinions irrelevant of other peoples opinions.


Walker is an attacking full back, when we are attacking he should be providing the width, so he has to be further up the pitch. I can't particularly blame walker for doing what our current system requires him to do.
 
Walker could be our most consistent defender this season actually. If I could be bothered to check I'm sure his match ratings have been middle to good for most games. He does make mistakes but you'd hard pushed to find one of our back four that hasn't made at least one bad mistake, if not more than one. Mistakes that cost goals comes with the territory as a defender IMHO.
 
He should have been guarding his flank, which was the area Vaz Te took up. Dawson does also has some responsibility, but in my book it was mainly down to Walker. Interesting that you should try to defend Walker in that situation, all reports I could find put it down to him.

I haven't been reading many match reports myself and I don't particularly care what some random journos say about it. Unless you can actually link me to someone you think are insightful on tactics it doesn't really carry any weight for me.

I've defended several of our full backs in similar situations before and I probably will in the future too. What Walker did in that situation is what we see top full backs do time and time again. To me your views on what a right back should and shouldn't do doesn't seem congruent with the style of play we actually play, and rather seems to fit better with another style of right back and another style of play.

To say that he should defend his flank makes no sense to me either. So all a team should have to do is push their striker wide left when we attack and Walker should just sit back and defend throughout?

I ask again, where are the other examples? You were obviously already aware of the counter arguments for this example and thus aware that this was a contentious example. For a player that "has awol marking deeply embedded in his dna by now" I really think more and better examples should be readily available.
 
'All reports I could find' is a cop out. People should make their own opinions irrelevant of other peoples opinions.


Walker is an attacking full back, when we are attacking he should be providing the width, so he has to be further up the pitch. I can't particularly blame walker for doing what our current system requires him to do.

He isn't good enough defensively at this moment in time. You rightly point out that he is an attacking full back, but let me ask you, do you think he's good enough going forward to make up for his defensive shortcomings? Personally I don't think his crossing ability is good enough. Football is changing and you won't find many full backs that are great defenders or even very good defenders, but my point is you had better be damn good going forward if you're going to be a liability defensively, which Walker definitely is at times.
 
I haven't been reading many match reports myself and I don't particularly care what some random journos say about it. Unless you can actually link me to someone you think are insightful on tactics it doesn't really carry any weight for me.

I've defended several of our full backs in similar situations before and I probably will in the future too. What Walker did in that situation is what we see top full backs do time and time again. To me your views on what a right back should and shouldn't do doesn't seem congruent with the style of play we actually play, and rather seems to fit better with another style of right back and another style of play.

To say that he should defend his flank makes no sense to me either. So all a team should have to do is push their striker wide left when we attack and Walker should just sit back and defend throughout?

I ask again, where are the other examples? You were obviously already aware of the counter arguments for this example and thus aware that this was a contentious example. For a player that "has awol marking deeply embedded in his dna by now" I really think more and better examples should be readily available.

You're making me laugh now.
 
He isn't good enough defensively at this moment in time. You rightly point out that he is an attacking full back, but let me ask you, do you think he's good enough going forward to make up for his defensive shortcomings? Personally I don't think his crossing ability is good enough. Football is changing and you won't find many full backs that are great defenders or even very good defenders, but my point is you had better be damn good going forward if you're going to be a liability defensively, which Walker definitely is at times.


Yes, this season i think he has been good enough to make up for the few defensive shortcomings that he has had.


I think he has been our most consistent defender this season and would be having words about the others before I would start to get on Walker's back.

His crossing is not perfect, however his link up play going forward with Townsend has been excellent.
 
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I haven't been reading many match reports myself and I don't particularly care what some random journos say about it. Unless you can actually link me to someone you think are insightful on tactics it doesn't really carry any weight for me.

I've defended several of our full backs in similar situations before and I probably will in the future too. What Walker did in that situation is what we see top full backs do time and time again. To me your views on what a right back should and shouldn't do doesn't seem congruent with the style of play we actually play, and rather seems to fit better with another style of right back and another style of play.

To say that he should defend his flank makes no sense to me either. So all a team should have to do is push their striker wide left when we attack and Walker should just sit back and defend throughout?

I ask again, where are the other examples? You were obviously already aware of the counter arguments for this example and thus aware that this was a contentious example. For a player that "has awol marking deeply embedded in his dna by now" I really think more and better examples should be readily available.


+1

Our full backs should defend their flanks when we don't have the ball. It would be very weird if we decided our attacking full backs had to defend when we have the ball.


Counter productive even.
 
He isn't good enough defensively at this moment in time. You rightly point out that he is an attacking full back, but let me ask you, do you think he's good enough going forward to make up for his defensive shortcomings? Personally I don't think his crossing ability is good enough. Football is changing and you won't find many full backs that are great defenders or even very good defenders, but my point is you had better be damn good going forward if you're going to be a liability defensively, which Walker definitely is at times.

Yes he makes mistakes, but as far as I can tell at least they are becoming less frequent.

He has some clear strengths defensively as well, one on one for example. How often do you see him get beat down the outside by players, or beat to a 50-50 ball. It happens very rarely.

You're making me laugh now.

Very clever...
 
Kyle is not playing for Spurs and England regularly if he is no good. He is very, very good.

Just cut out the mistakes and he can be great.
 
He should have been guarding his flank, which was the area Vaz Te took up. Dawson does also has some responsibility, but in my book it was mainly down to Walker. Interesting that you should try to defend Walker in that situation, all reports I could find put it down to him.

Context of the game is important. 1~0 down at home deep into the second half and Walker must surely provide attacking support as his main priority IMO.
 
Walker is supposed to provide width and get up and down the line; when he goes forward one of the midfielders should drop back and defend with the centre backs. This is where Sandro excels.

Spur of the moment is describing a 442 with wingers, where the full back has to defend first and foremost. We don't play that formation.




The stupid thing about Walker's yellow card was that he would EASILY have got back at that Montenegrin fella as he was about 35 yards out... Walker almost never needs to pull people back as he is so fast, yet he still does it.
 
I have said it a number of times, if it wasn't for Walker we would have been left red faced a number of time with this high line. He may not be the best defensively but he is one of the best defenders in the prem when it comes to recovering.
 
Walker's been decent for a while now, he's growing on me I would like a crafier full back on the other side though or Rose and a craftier FB for the right.
 
I have said it a number of times, if it wasn't for Walker we would have been left red faced a number of time with this high line. He may not be the best defensively but he is one of the best defenders in the prem when it comes to recovering.

=D>
 
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