As soon the 2016-17 Premier League season ended, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola started releasing players. They just couldn’t wait any longer. Out went Clichy, Sagna, Zabaleta and Zabaleta. These were players who had served the Citizens quite well. And these were players who played as full backs. You do not release 4 full backs without having able replacements lined up. One of them is Kyle Walker. Not many players divide opinion as Walker does. Here we look at how much a step up Walker is when compared to the people who were occupying his position at City for the last few seasons.
Walker – the defender
The below graph depicts that Walker basically outperformed the Man City counterparts on the essential defensive traits and looks like a good defensive addition to an attack minded Man City side.
Walker won 80% of his tackles. The closest a City full back could get was 77%, by Sagna. When it comes to Aerial duels, Walker comes out a much clearer winner. He won 68% of his Aerial duels. Zabaleta, Sagna and Clichy won 62%, 58% and 43% respectively. Walker also made 159 recoveries. Clichy comes the closest in this regard, having recovered the ball 132 times. The above graph shows that the City full backs of the previous season were much better at recovering balls than anything else else. This might be due to the way Pep Guardiola wants his team to play. Walker seems a right step in that direction, only that he seems so much better. A philosophy fit transfer, we can call him.
Walker – the winger
Manchester City have also attacked a lot from their wings with 71% of their attack coming from the flanks. Incidentally, Walker’s main strength is his ability to attack down the flank. As expected, he has completely outperformed each of the Man City full backs in terms of attacking contributions. He created 5 assists which was 2 more than what the Man City fullbacks managed together. The 27 year old England International also created 39 chances, made 75 dribbles and crossed the ball 97 times. The below graph suggests that while Walker does as well, if not better, when it comes to Pass completion in the final third, he beats an average City full back of last season in other departments of attack hands down. Again, a philosophy fit, with the necessary upgrades.
What does Walker transfer mean to Draft Fantasy Managers?
Walker was owned by 73% of the Draft Fantasy Managers which was 20% more than the best Man City fullback, Kolarov. Walker might face stiff competition from the ex-Real Madrid fullback, Danilo. Considering his Premier League experience and world record fee (for a short time at least), Walker should be the starter of the two, at right back for the Citizens. Whether he can hold his place is entirely up to his performances. He was drafted in the 64th round. None of the City fullbacks of the past season were drafted earlier than the 76th round. We expect that number to decrease further.
While the transfer fee might be hard to digest, it was a necessary. City’s fullbacks had grown old and looked off pace when the entire team were steaming forward. A position that was a liability looks to have been turned on its head. Now it’s the responsibility of the England International to prove his worth and establish himself as one of the best fullbacks of modern football.
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