Kyle Walker's desperate antics during dire derby sum up sorry Manchester City
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Never mind that it was shameful, never mind that it was embarrassing, never mind that it was almost laughable. After all, Kyle Walker’s lamentable collapse following a gentle rubbing of foreheads with Rasmus Hojlund was only a piece of pathetic con-artistry that most Premier League players would be willing to perform.
This kind of dismal theatrics is second nature to most of them. Only Walker is not ‘most Premier League players’. Walker is the captain of a team that has won four Premier League titles on the spin. Walker is the stalwart of a team that has won six of the last seven Premier Leagues. Walker is the veteran of a team that won the Treble the season before last. Walker should not be reduced to this.
It was just before half-time and Manchester City were leading, for goodness sake. Since when did Walker, a totem of an all-conquering operation, feel he had to act like this? Since when did it get this desperate? Because while Walker’s antics were rightly called out by the likes of Roy Keane for their shamelessness, there was something more significant going on.
Walker is the captain of a City team that has, physically and psychologically, fallen off a cliff edge. And considering the standards they have set over the Pep Guardiola years, it is a very high cliff they have fallen from. The outcome of this game was decided by the only player on the park who played to anything that resembled an elite level. Amad was, by far and away, the contest’s most accomplished performer. Ruben Amorim’s best piece of managerial work since coming to Manchester has been to recognise the talent and work-rate of this young man - talent and work-rate that was neglected by Erik ten Hag.
