FIFA World Cup 2022: England right back Kyle Walker is not going to roll out the red carpet against Kylian Mbappe. Speaking ahead of their quarter-finals clash against France, Walker has talked in details about the upcoming challenge.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring a goal in FIFA World Cup. (Courtesy: Reuters)
By India Today Web Desk: England are up against France in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Set to be played on Saturday, 10 December, this is possibly the toughest clash of the World Cup at this stage of the competition. Both teams have been terrific coming into the fixture and have shown that they have incredible depth in their squad. Defending champions France have shown what they can do when they are at their lethal best, while England have come into this fixture after playing a perfect game against Senegal.
Speaking ahead of the France game, England right-back Kyle Walker was asked about how he plans to deal with Kylian Mbappe, possibly the most talented striker of his generation. Walker spoke at length on the matter and said that he did not exactly plan to roll out the red carpet for the Paris Saint-Germain striker.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best, in the world. I understand what I need to do and that’s to stop him. It’s probably easier said than done but I don’t underestimate myself,” Walker was quoted as saying by British publication, The Guardian.
“I have to take extra care and give him the respect he deserves, but not too much respect because he’s playing England and we can cause them problems. The game is not England v Mbappe. The game is England vs France,” he further added.
“He’s a good player and in good form but I’m not going to roll out the red carpet for him and tell him to go and score. I’m representing my country at a quarter-final of a World Cup. It’s do or die. If we lose we go home. He’s not going to stand in my way and hopefully winning a World Cup for my country,” Walker spoke about defending Mbappe.
France have multiple injury concerns in their team, but the Didier Deschamps side seem to be least bothered with it. They did not announce replacement for this year’s Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema after he was ruled out ahead of the tournament, signifying the trust they had in their depth.
“We are not playing tennis,” Walker said. “It’s not a solo sport. It takes a team to win a game of football. They have to worry about us. It’s not just us worrying about them. We have great players, and great players who can come off the bench and affect games,” Walker said.
England had their own perfect game against Senegal, but it is understandable that they have to find a different level to their game to compete against France.
“Full credit to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish, who have come off the bench and scored a goal. Bukayo [Saka] has been on fire. Harry [Kane] has got his goal now. We have got goals from all ends of the field. I can tell you training is tough marking some of these guys. You want to play against the best guys in the world but we have some of them in that changing room,” Walker concluded his assessment on his team.