Saints Marching
Fansided

Manchester United 2-2 Southampton: Premier League – Three Key Players

By Erik Franzo

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United battles for possession with Kyle Walker-Peters of Southampton during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton FC at Old Trafford on July 13, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United battles for possession with Kyle Walker-Peters of Southampton during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton FC at Old Trafford on July 13, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Southampton’s English defender Kyle Walker-Peters (R) vies with Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford (C) (Photo by CLIVE BRUNSKILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Southampton’s English defender Kyle Walker-Peters (R) vies with Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford (C) (Photo by CLIVE BRUNSKILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

A Step in the Wrong Direction? – Kyle Walker-Peters

After a series of excellent performances from the Tottenham loanee, Kyle Walker-Peters showed a few weaknesses against Manchester United. The two United goals came from his side, with the second being a rather passive defensive effort to slow down Anthony Martial. Yes, he needed more effective cover from Jack Stephens and James Ward-Prowse, but for the first time he flashed some reservation in his pressing.  Walker-Peters had some decent moments on the ball, but Luke Shaw blocked out his cross attempts and he could not match the pace of Marcus Rashford.  He also had to throw his hand out and earned a yellow to stop a United break when caught out of position.

Considering Walker-Peters was matching up against a red hot United squad this could be considered a harsh criticism, but his size and strength against the likes of Rashford and Martial are legitimate concerns.  One has to think a healthy and in form Yan Valery would be a better fit for this type of match, emphasizing the possibility for a perpetual position battle at right-back.  To answer the question, it is not a step backward for Walker-Peters, but a match where he needs to go to the video room and figure out a few areas to improve on before signing up with Southampton long term.