Manchester City fell to yet another demoralising defeat in the Manchester derby
Manchester City fell to yet another demoralising defeat in the Manchester derby
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.
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Roy Keane destroys Kyle Walker after Rasmus Hojlund incident: 'I'm embarrassed for him'](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/roy-keane-kyle-walker-hojlund-34318287)
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.
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Kyle Walker feigned injury following a clash with Rasmus Hojlund
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Image:
Getty Images)
The contrast between Amad and Marcus Rashford has never been so stark. But when Amad won the late penalty that Bruno Fernandes converted to cancel out Josko Gvardiol’s first half header and then scored a brilliant winner, he was only doing what United should have done earlier. And that was to expose a City side that is taking the season off, expose a City side that looks, to put it quite simply, knackered.
There were some in the Etihad who sounded disgruntled when Kevin de Bruyne was replaced by Mateo Kovacic in the 68th minute. But, at this moment, De Bruyne can no longer get around the field to any sort of effect. He looks like a high-class walking footballer. And De Bruyne is not alone in scratching around for any sort of form or dynamism.
When Walker is not throwing himself to the deck in an attempt to get an opponent sent off, he is also struggling to cope with the pace of games, likewise an unrecognisable Ilkay Gundogan. When Erling Haaland is not scoring, he is a hindrance and when he is not scoring, few others are. It is a calendar year since Jack Grealish - a late sub here - scored.
Goals are not coming from the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.
Maybe these City players suspect something is coming down the line that might render any efforts irrelevant. Maybe these City players are fed up with Pep. No-one knows.
But we do know this is a desperate fall from grace … and nothing demonstrated that more vividly than Kyle Walker’s desperate fall.
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