Micah Richards believes that there is a “fear factor” that Kyle Walker brings to the table.
Often, strikers like Erling Haaland are known to send shivers down opposition players, managers and fans’ spines due to their goalscoring exploits.
The same can be said about players like Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden due to their ability to create something out of nothing, which can dismantle a team’s entire masterplan in a second.
But forwards would understandably be petrified of going toe-to-toe with Kyle Walker, with Timo Werner recently naming the Englishman as the toughest opponent he has ever come up against.
Micah Richards says Kyle Walker has a “fear factor”
Last year, Bournemouth’s Max Aarons claimed that 19 out of the 20 left-wingers in the Premier League would not fancy their chances of taking on the former Tottenham Hotspur defender.
Such is Walker’s reputation at 33 years of age, which is one of the reasons why many might believe that his sustained brilliance is why he has a case for being one of the greatest right-backs of all time.
Micah Richards had his say on Kyle Walker on BBC Sport, claiming, “It’s a strange one with Kyle Walker because a lot of people are asking for him to be out of the team.”
“He is in the team because of his recovery pace. At Spurs, he got up and down the line. He has the fear factor, that’s the difference.”
Richards continued, “Pep [Guardiola] is such a genius and gets the best out of what a player is good at. His recovery runs allow [John] Stones and [Manuel] Akanji to get forward. That’s why I think Pep is such a good manager.”
Kyle Walker will be crucial against Real Madrid
A game where Kyle Walker and his fear factor, as Micah Richards described it could prove to be instrumental is in the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid.
Much like last season, all eyes will be on whether the five-time Premier League winner can deal with Vinicius Jr.’s threat.
In the 2022/2023 season, Walker got the better of the Brazilian but the latter has the ability to exact revenge against him as he could be the best wide dribbler in the world.
However, whether Vinicius Jr. backs himself to take Kyle Walker on after a few attempts could say a lot about the veteran’s fear factor, as wingers seem like they give up after trying to test him on several instances.
