The fall of Kyle Walker: Why Man City's 'embarrassing' captain is right to leave the Etihad Stadium

The fall of Kyle Walker: Why Man City’s ’embarrassing’ captain is right to leave the Etihad Stadium

Last Updated: January 13, 2025By Chief Editor

For so long the England full-back was a pillar of excellence for the champions, but he’s become the weak link in a miserable 2024-25 campaign

After nine years of unprecedented domination, Manchester City’s empire is crumbling, and the once peerless Pep Guardiola has been proven to be a mere mortal like everyone else. Barring a miraculous recovery, the reigning Premier League champions will not be celebrating a record-extending fifth-successive title come May.

City were only beaten five times in the whole of last season, but have incredibly lost nine times across all competitions already, with a miserable sequence of just one win in 13 games posted between October 30 and December 26. It was the worst run of form Guardiola has ever endured as a manager, and City’s worst since 2003, five years before Sheikh Mansour’s historic takeover at the Etihad Stadium.

This is the first real crisis of Guardiola’s career, and it remains to be seen if he can get City out of it. The ship has been steadied with three successive wins, but City are still a long way off regaining their aura of invincibility. No one fears them anymore, and one of the main reasons for that has been the continued presence of Kyle Walker at right-back.

City’s worst player

It must be noted that Walker has been hampered by a series of niggling fitness issues. Rico Lewis played ahead of him in the early stages of the season, and for a while, it seemed like a permanent changing of the guard was afoot.

But after recovering from a knee problem he picked up on international duty with England in October, Walker started seven out of 12 games for City through to December 15. The veteran full-back was an unused substitute during both the shocking 4-1 loss to Sporting CP and 3-3 draw against Feyenoord in the Champions League, while he came on at half-time in City’s 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest but was otherwise ever-present, and arguably the worst player in the team.

Walker was ripped to shreds by Timo Werner in City’s 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham, and he was at fault for both of Crystal Palace’s goals as Guardiola’s side were held to a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park. In City’s most recent Champions League outing at Juventus, his failure to track back left Weston McKennie in acres of space in the box to volley home and seal a 2-0 victory for the hosts.

And in the Manchester derby, Walker made headlines for his erratic defending, and behaviour, once again. United ran out 2-1 winners at Etihad Stadium, but the final result could have been even worse for City had United taken full advantage of Walker’s ineptitude – and if the referee had been strong enough to punish him for one shameless display of theatricality.