Rico Lewis was benched in favour of his Manchester City teammate Kyle Walker, who started in England’s 3-1 win against Finland in the UEFA Nations League.
Walker played throughout the contest as Lee Carsley’s side returned to winning ways after their recent 2-1 defeat to Greece.
The Manchester City right-back played in a back four that featured John Stones, Marc Guehi and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It seemed like Walker and his fellow defenders were set to walk away with a clean sheet as the Three Lions were leading 3-0 after the 84th minute. After Jack Grealish’s opening strike in the first half, goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice in the second meant the game was out of Finland’s reach.
However, Arttu Hoskonen ended up scoring a near-post header from a corner in the 87th minute.
Ahead of the fixtures against Greece and Finland, Lee Carsley revealed he picked Walker in England’s squad as he had never worked with the 34-year-old before and he felt he could help the younger players.
‘Poor’ Kyle Walker slammed by national media after England vs Finland
After not being picked in England’s roster for the season’s first international break, Walker felt Lee Carsley made the “right call” as he had not played a single minute for City at the time.
The six-time Premier League winner was given the chance to impress the Three Lions interim boss on Sunday.
However, the national media were left unimpressed with Walker’s display for England against Finland, with The Standard handing him a match rating of 5/10: “Decent display defensively but slowed England down when they were on the attack.”
The Independent also gave the veteran a match rating of 5/10 and criticised his performance.
“With England’s play gravitating towards the left, [Kyle] Walker was not as involved as his opposite full-back, [Trent] Alexander-Arnold. Still, he was poor in possession on a couple of occasions, leading to Finland counter-attacks.”
The Daily Mail also gave Walker a 5/10 rating as they felt his latest showing for England both offensively and defensively left a lot to be desired against Finland.
“Does not attack like he once did and England needed some pace to break behind Finland. Feels like he’s on the decline. Couple of shaky moments defensively.”
iNews gave Walker a kinder rating of 6/10 but still felt he was not at his brilliant best.
“Looked to push forward as often as possible but beaten too easily on the break. Never at his best.”
Walker stats after his England display vs Finland criticised
Walker will be disappointed to hear that his latest outing for England did not catch the eye against Finland.
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender is one of the Three Lions’ most experienced players, as he currently has 92 international caps. Here is a list of Walker’s statistics from England’s convincing victory against Finland.
| WALKER’S STATS FOR ENGLAND VS FINLAND | |
| DRIBBLED PAST | 0 |
| ACCURATE CROSSES | 0/1 |
| GROUND DUELS WON | 3/6 |
| POSSESSION LOST | 11 |
| CLEARANCES | 0 |
| TACKLES | 3 |
| INTERCEPTIONS | 1 |
| FOULS | 2 |
| KEY PASSES | 0 |
| TOUCHES | 75 |
However, Sofascore did hand Walker a 7.1/10 match rating.
But judging by the statistics, the treble-winner did not manage to blow any trees for England against Finland.
With Alexander-Arnold and Lewis continuing to impress for club and country, Walker’s status as the Three Lions’ starting right-back could be under jeopardy unless he steps his game up.
Especially if Lee Carsley stays in charge of England, who has given both plenty of minutes during his stint.
Walker’s aim for the time being will be to return to Manchester City, impress Pep Guardiola in training and earn a starting berth in his side’s upcoming contest against Wolves.
