In the post-match interview after Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 against Manchester City yesterday, Mauricio Pochettino shed some light on Kyle Walker-Peters’ performance and said (via Football.London), “I think he still needs to improve. He’s still so young. It’s not easy when you’re a back-up player. You have an amazing opportunity when you play and you feel the excitement, but when you feel the responsibility 200% when you’re first choice and we’ll see how he deals with that. He was up against one of the best players in Sterling.”
Walker-Peters’ Rapid Rise At North London
Walker-Peters joined Spurs at an early age and came through their youth ranks before breaking out as a first-team member in the 2017-18 campaign. The young full-back has already made 21 first-team appearances for the North London giants, scoring one goal while creating five assists on all fronts.
The 22-year-old found it difficult coping with Sterling’s pace and goal-threat at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. He was often beaten on the dribble down the wide areas which caused a lot of headaches for the Spurs centre-backs. However, there is no denying that Walker-Peters is improving with each game. He is flourishing at the prospect of playing regularly as a member of Pochettino’s first-team.
Now that the Spurs head coach has revealed that the English youngster needs to improve due to his inexperience, Serge Aurier might get a chance to stake his claim for a right-back berth in Tottenham’s starting XI.
What Does The English Defender Add To Pochettino’s Team?
At such a young age, Walker-Peters has managed to earn a regular starting berth in Pochettino’s senior team. However, the Argentine manager is right when he claims that the English whizkid still has a lot to learn before he is ready to perform consistently at the highest level.
The Spurs right-back has decent pace and is a very penetrative dribbler with the ball down the right flank. He is not afraid to work hard for his team but tends to commit himself too quickly when left isolated in a 1v1 situation at the back. The English prospect can also whip in some terrific crosses from the wide areas which makes him a threat going forward.
Can Walker-Peters Retain His First-Team Place At The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium This Season?
Walker-Peters has got what it takes to succeed for Pochettino’s side as long as he is willing to learn and improve his game with each year. Aurier might be better suited to play against the bigger teams as he has the experience and the know-how to not be fazed by pressure. Even then Walker-Peters should still be Pochettino’s first-choice right-back for this campaign as long as he can be more productive against the lesser teams.
