Since Kyle Walker took on deeper roles for club and country in 2018, we’ve seen one common action in particular from him. He’ll take the ball, drive forward in that old-fashioned wing-back way, then realise his body shape has closed off inside options. He’ll then turn around and play backwards. 

However, this season, he’s taken on a new role in Pep Guardiola’s Man City team. City have brought the 4-4-2 back into fashion. With narrow wingers, full-backs like Walker have been providing the width. This has had a few effects on Walker’s involvement.

Firstly, he’s played slightly higher up, so he no longer has the entire opposition midfield in front of him. Often, he’s found himself behind the opposition midfield, with better access to his fellow attackers.

Secondly, as seen above, now standing on the touchline, his body shape differs when he receives the ball. Facing inwards gives him a broader vision to play to teammates inside, and he does not commit himself to a particular direction of play before playing the pass. 

Finally, his more advanced position has given him greater licence to take players on with his wicked pace. Taking a wide midfielder on would have been risky in his old role, as he’d end up face-to-face with the opposition full-back straight afterwards. Whereas now, taking on the full-back is less risky since no player is backing them up. If he gets past the full-back, he’s simply in space.