Manchester City fans know full well just how important Kyle Walker is to their team, but its an appreciation not often shared by fans of other clubs.
Walker has played a central role in all four of City's Premier League title wins since he joined the club in 2017, but there still exists a lazy generalisation about his game.
Critics claim that the England international relies too much on his pace, and that he uses his acceleration to bail himself out of tricky situations. While it is true that the 32-year-old's powers of recovery are a reason why City can afford to play so high up the pitch and commit bodies forward, it is wrong to reduce his game to that.
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Walker's role in Guardiola's system means that he often tucks into midfield when City are in possession, meaning he plays a key role in City's build-up play and chance creation. Attacking abilities aside though, he is still one of the best defenders in the game.
That's a view shared by Eden Hazard, the £150m attacker who came up against Walker plenty of times when the Belgian star played for Chelsea.
The two came face-to-face with each other in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons before Hazard moved to Real Madrid, and of course they met before that when Walker was still at Tottenham.
"Kyle, Kyle Walker," Hazard told ESPN when asked who is the toughest opponent he has ever come up against.
"He's strong, he's fast, you know. I am strong and fast but he is stronger than me and he is faster than me. As a right-back, he is, I think, one of the best at the moment."
Hazard and Walker met on five occasions while representing Chelsea and City respectively, with City winning three of the four league encounters while edging out the 2019 League Cup final on penalties. Hazard did not score in any of those matches.
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