Kyle Walker's foul-mouthed response sums up Man City woes after Arsenal howler
MAN CITY 2-2 ARSENAL: Premier League champions Man City just about earned a point in their clash with the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium but one star in particular appears to be struggling
by David McDonnell · The MirrorKyle Walker's sense of timing – on and off the field – is questionable, to say the least.
The Manchester City defender has brought out a podcast entitled 'You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker', which is something of a misnomer, since many seem to be managing to do that this season.
Arsenal centre-back Gabriel is the latest to do so, leaving Walker trailing in his wake as he rose to meet a Bukayo Saka corner and head the Gunners in front in first-half added time.
Walker's furious response said it all, the 34-year-old holding his head in his hands and letting out an expletive, acknowledging his culpability in failing to mark Gabriel and track his run accordingly.
What compounded Walker's mistake for the goal was that in the moments before it, he repeatedly tapped Gabriel in the chest, in a childish and futile attempt to rile the Arsenal defender, who promptly spun away before exacting the ultimate revenge by planting the ball in the net.
During the recent international break, after being snubbed by interim England boss Lee Carsley, Walker showed his professionalism by turning out for City's reserves in a friendly against non-league Buxton.
If he carries on playing like this, in what was only his second start of the season, Walker could himself turning out for City's Elite Development Squad – the reserves, in old money – on a more regular basis.
As the saying goes, time waits for no man and on Sunday, it appeared to have caught up with Walker, who was also partly to blame for Riccardo Calafiori's 22nd-minute equaliser for Arsenal.
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Walker complained he was not given enough time to get back into position after referee Michael Oliver had called him and fellow captain Saka to speak with him before restarting play.
The end result was Gabriel Martinelli getting a crucial head start on Walker, affording him time to play the ball back to Calafiori, who applied a majestic sweeping finish beyond Ederson.
Leandro Trossard's red card absolved Walker of any defensive duties in the second-half, which is just well, considering how vulnerable he looked in the first 45 minutes, with Walker eventually replaced 12 minutes from time.
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