Kyle Walker should learn a valuable lesson from his teammate Manuel Akanji after the win over Brentford.
Manchester City got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory against the Bees on Tuesday night but they were made to work hard for it.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated proceedings but struggled to break Brentford’s resolve, with goalkeeper Mark Flekken once again in inspired form.
However, they finally found the breakthrough in the 71st minute through the reliable source of Erling Haaland.
The striker capitalised on a slip in the Brentford back-line to race through and score the decisive goal and send City to within a point of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Though Haaland made the difference, it was Manuel Akanji who was the best player on the pitch.
A great response from Manuel Akanji
Akanji had come in for some criticism in recent weeks, especially after the disappointing draw with Chelsea, due to his struggles in the inverted midfield role.
It was Guardiola’s fault more than the Swiss’, with the manager insisting on tasking Akanji with the difficult task even with John Stones available or even on the pitch.
It’s a role that doesn’t suit Akanji but, thankfully, he was back to a more traditional role on Tuesday.
The £15m man once again displayed his great versatility by filling in at left-back, but Stones was the one stepping up the pitch and City looked much more comfortable as a result.
Akanji still had the chance to get forward from left-back, and he did to great effect, but he wasn’t being tasked with dictating the play in the middle.
Instead, he got to bomb up the flank and nearly scored a great goal when he took a shot from distance.
However, when he had the chance to take shots in a similar position later on in the game, he turned them down.
“They gave me a lot of space and the manager said if I have space I should attack,” Akanji told City’s in-house media.
“Normally I don’t shoot that much but today I did, and it wasn’t the best shot but hopefully next time it goes in.
“I could have had a couple more opportunities to shoot but they were towards the end of the game, and I
didn’t want to give the ball away easily. It was a great team win.”
Kyle Walker should take inspiration
Kyle Walker should take note of Akanji’s composure in the final minutes as City expertly managed the closing stages of the game.
The right-back has been guilty in the past of taking hopeful shots from distance which have a minuscule xG and usually just gives the ball away.
An egregious example happened against Chelsea when City were pushing for a last-gasp winner.
The Blues had Chelsea on the ropes in the 93rd minute but Walker opted to have a go from 25 yards out rather than work the ball to create a better chance.
It was a maddening moment but hopefully, Walker can learn from his teammate.
