Ex-Premier League winner blames Kyle Walker for 'exposing' Liverpool star in England win
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Micah Richards has claimed that Manchester City star Kyle Walker failed to work with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold correctly during England’s win over Finland.
The Three Lions sported a strong starting XI that saw Alexander-Arnold become their left-back for the first time from the start due to injuries on that side. He scored a brilliant free-kick in the second-half to kill the game but he was clearly playing out of position, unlike Walker.
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Hide AdYet, he showed plenty of quality when stepping into midfield, playing the inverted role that he has done for Liverpool on plenty of occasions since last year. Walker played a more traditional role on the other side but, according to Richards, it didn’t quite click into place. Speaking on the Rest is Football, the former defender noted how Walker would continue to overlap from the right-back position despite Alexander-Arnold inverting in England’s midfield, with both full-backs failing to work in tandem. Richards said: “I was watching it from a full-back’s point of view and I was thinking at times I can see it because he just basically went into midfield, but at times Kyle Walker was overlapping as well, so you sort of left Trent a little bit exposed in positions where he can be got at a little bit.
“If he’s going to play full-back and left-back on the wrong side, you have got to be able to make sure Kyle Walker stays and he goes into midfield as soon as possible so he doesn’t get as exposed as he did at times in the game.”
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With England currently suffering from a lack of left-back options, it is unclear if he will continue to play in such a role when the next international break comes in November. Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier has retired, Manchester United’s Luke Shaw has ongoing injury issues and Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell is currently not even in matchday squads - leaving it something of a problem position.
Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell has played in the past and it looks like that could be an option for the future as Alexander-Arnold is far better in his natural role. Plus, given Walker is now 34, his time is slowly coming to an end, with the next major tournament in 2026 likely to have Alexander-Arnold front and centre of this clearly talented squad.
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