TACTICAL SWITCH WILL SEE WALKER WARM THE BENCH – PEP

PEP Guardiola indicated that Kyle Walker will have to be content with a place on the bench when City play with three at the back.

The Blues boss has recently been moving a full-back into midfield to play alongside Rodri in front of three central defenders. John Stones performed the role to a high level in the 4-1 win over Liverpool, while youngster Rico Lewis has also been used there.

That has had a knock-on effect for Walker, right, who has started just two of the last six matches in all competitions for City with Lewis preferred for the Premier League game against Bournemouth and John Stones picked for the Crystal Palace, Leipzig and Liverpool games.

Having missed a few months before the World Cup due to injury, Walker has tumbled down the list of Guardiola’s mostused players this season.

For as long as City play the 3-4-3 formation that they used against Liverpool, the England international is likely to remain on the bench. Guardiola said that while

Walker could play in one of the roles at the back, he is not suited to moving into midfield alongside Rodri in the way that Stones and Lewis are and there is no time for him to adapt currently.

“He cannot do it.

“He will always have pace, he will be the fastest in this room at 60,” the manager said.

“To play inside you have to make some movements, he has other characteristics. He has played as a full-back coming inside with four in the back with Joao [Cancelo] or Alex [Zinchenko] in that position and Kyle has done it really well, but with this shape of three in the back and two in the middle he cannot do it.

“He can play coming inside and he has done it many times but like in the position of Liverpool with Rodri and John, he will maybe need time to do it and we don’t have time. It’s just a question of skills.

“The quality sometimes you need some specific things, there are players that have his qualities.

“You would not ask Riyad [Mahrez] to play as a full-back because he cannot play as a full-back.

“The reason why is tactical. It’s not because we lost faith in Kyle.”