Age and time seem to be running fast on Kyle Walker, but not as fast as Antoine Semenyo did on Saturday. If Walker has had a tougher game in a Manchester City shirt than what happened to him at Bournemouth, then pointing that out is no easy task.
There was extenuating circumstance and theirs was the same as the group. Neither they nor he were in shape during a mission that arose out of necessity after just six minutes of training in the last 16 days.
And yet it was a jarring and painful afternoon, in which Semenyo destroyed one of the best right-backs of the Premier League era. It was an act of sustained savagery that ensured Walker’s suffering was far deeper than knowing that the two goals City conceded came from his flank.
Semenyo beat him in rhythm, in agility, in reaction speed to loose balls. He beat him inside, beat him down the line and twice left him face down on the grass. When Walker was booked in the second half, it was for bringing down Semenyo and when Walker was moved to center half, it was to avoid another encounter with the wheels of a truck.
Few have so earned the right to have a bad day, but if we were tough about it, and hopefully premature in doing so, we might bring out what Gary Neville once said about knowing when your end has come.
Kyle Walker had a day to forget as Manchester City lost 2-1 to Bournemouth.
Antoine Semenyo beat him in pace, agility and reaction speed to loose balls.
That was the day in 2011 when, according to his famous recollection, he made West Bromwich Albion’s Jerome Thomas look like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neville was 36, Walker is 34 and they have played a similar sum of games: Neville 687 to Walker’s 711.
Whether your legs are tired or injured, you don’t want to encounter a player like Semenyo. At 24 years old, he is advancing rapidly. He has played National League South, League Two, League One, the Championship, and the Cherries will do well to retain him if his form this season is replicated in an agreed pattern. For now, we are looking at a winger who, in the last fortnight alone, has destroyed Arsenal’s Ben White and Walker.
But what about the latter? City manager Pep Guardiola’s defense of Walker on Saturday afternoon focused on his limited training since the Euros, which he estimated at around five sessions this season, including the shortest of training sessions before the trip to Bournemouth. after injuring his knee with England during the last international match. break.
That’s no way to prepare for a physical game against unsuspecting opponents who stifle space, but it’s notable that Walker hasn’t quickly recovered from his summer efforts. Older players tend to recover more slowly, and that’s no surprise.
But if it was surprising recently to see Walker vastly out-charged by Fulham’s Adama Traore, having been the division’s leading speedster for so long, then other statistics back up the impression he created.
His success rate in duels won per 90 minutes, which over the previous four seasons had remained around 54 percent, has dropped by 10 percent, according to Opta data, and his penetrating dribbles have dropped to almost half, as well as his interceptions.
What was once his calling card, that willingness to let the attacker pass knowing he would always win the sprint, has become a complicated gamble. Their recoveries are also trending downward.
Walker’s success rate in duels won per 90 minutes, which had hovered around 54 percent over the previous four seasons, has dropped by 10 percent.
Guardiola is not too worried and says: “Kyle can play without training because his human condition, his physique, is incredible.” Of course he needs to get back to the routine, to play. We need him as our captain and he has to be the best. Step by step, I hope I can achieve it.”
I hope I can, but age and time do not always listen to these types of requests.
