Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that star defender Kyle Walker can’t play in his current system.
The England international has started just two of the club’s last seven matches.
The Spanish manager has opted to pick John Stones in place of Walker.
Despite usually being deployed as a center back, Guardiola feels Stones fits his system better than Walker. “He [Walker] cannot do it. To play inside you have to make some educated movements,” Guardiola said in a press conference on Friday.
“[Walker] has other characteristics. He will always have pace. He will be the fastest in this room at 60 years old.”
Coach prefers full backs to push into central midfield
Guardiola expounded on his decision to choose Stones, saying it comes down to tactics.
Widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the world, Guardiola likes to utilize his full backs in an interesting way. Instead of sticking to the touchline, the coach wants at least one of his full backs to invert and play more in the middle of the pitch.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo both performed this duty well during their time with City in recent years. However, both defenders have since departed the team.
“The reason why is tactical. It’s not because we lost faith in Kyle,” continued Guardiola. “[Walker] can play coming inside and he has done it many times, but like in the position [against] Liverpool with Rodri and John, he will maybe need time to do it and we don’t have time.”
Pep says Walker must work harder to adapt to system
The demanding manager also asked Walker not to complain about being on the sidelines for now. Instead, he asks his players to put their heads down and work hard to get back into the team.
“What they have to do is two things,” stated Guardiola. “Don’t complain or there will be a problem. And try to do it better and better so when I need them, they will be ready. Look at Nathan [Ake] this season. Last season he didn’t play one minute and now he is undroppable. It happens.”
“Nobody has a guarantee with me. They have to earn it and sometimes we need a different shape for the way we build up or defend. Some players adapt better than the other ones. They take it personally but we are not against them. We just need something and try to use it.”
City next face Southampton on Saturday in an attempt to gain ground on league-leading Arsenal. The Gunners are currently eight points ahead of reigning Premier League champions City.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
