Editor's note: this is the first in a series of "Beginner's Guide to Tottenham Hotspur Players" series that user mpachnuik has started in the FanPosts. This is strong work, and I'm happy to front this. Well done.

Player: Kyle Walker

Primary Position: Right Back

Strengths: Few players in the Premier League, let alone defenders, can match Kyle Walker’s outright pace. It is blistering, breathless, and the distinguishing factor in his game. Yet it is more than his speed; he is a bona fide athletic beast. Watch any Spurs game this season and witness the 60 yard lung-bursting runs down the right touchline that often end with (sadly of course because this implies that Spurs didn’t score) an immediate retracement of said 60 yards. And he does this repeatedly, Energizer Bunny style. Spurs are guaranteed to find space in their opposition’s left flank in the latter stages of any match if Kyle Walker plays 90 minutes; he simply wears the opponent down. From a defensive perspective, he is sufficient in the air and is a more than decent individual defender as his pace makes up for some errors that he may commit. Lastly he can strike a ball. While it doesn’t happen often, he can net the odd goal or at the very least force our rival’s Goalkeeper into a parrying save.

Free Kick vs. Blackburn

or this glorious moment

Goal Against Woolwich Wanderers or the Scum or Arsenal F.C.

Weaknesses: To say that Kyle Walker is not a cerebral player is an understatement. This, along with injury, is what holds him back from being a consistent standout for Spurs and England. While improved over time, there is a lot left to be desired in Kyle Walker’s positioning. Due to his penchant to get forward, he can sometimes be found closer to Paxton Road on counters rather than his desired right back position. But this isn't what infuriates Tottenham’s fanbase and the overall CFC community the most. It is his consistent habit of ball watching, on both set pieces and tempered build-up play, that ruins us and leads to goals for clubs that aren’t Spurs. Further, he puts himself in defending situations that need not be as difficult as they turn out to be because of where he situates himself on the field. His decision making in the final third isn’t great either. While he has the ability to hit a screamer, many of his long distance shots simply end with a cheap loss of possession. His final product when whipping the ball into our opponent’s box also leaves something to be desired but to Walker’s defense he:

a. Is not as bad as soon to be ex Spurs winger Aaron Lennon in this endeavor; and

b. Earns the right to piss the ball away every now and then because of how much space he finds.

Lastly injury, which destroyed his 2014-15 campaign, has become something of a regularity. A good deal of Walker’s defensive development came from the sheer amount of Premier League level matches that he was playing. Without an ability to stay on the field consistently, the poor form that we saw at the end of last season will likely continue.

History at Spurs: Kyle Walker was bought from Sheffield United in 2009 at the age of 19. Packaged with former Spurs player Kyle Naughton, the deal cost Spurs 9 million pounds. The 2010-11 season saw Walker impress on loans at both QPR and Aston Villa; the latter loan giving Walker precious and consistent experience at the Premier League level. The 2011-12 season was his breakout for Spurs, which saw him cement a first team place in a talented side that finished fourth in the Premier League, and included the likes of Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, and Rafael Van der Vaart. Walker won the prestigious PFA Young Player of the Year award that year and was included on the PFA Premier Leagues Best XI. The 2012-13 saw him make more appearances than anyone else on the squad, and while his performances were not quite at the levels of the previous year, he was still among the best right backs in England. Injuries have completely sidelined Walker. He missed the last 16 Premier League Games of the 2013-14 and an early injury in the 2014-15 saw the majority of his season lost and his form, when he returned, crippled.

Role on Team: Walker will battle for a first 11 spot at right back with his primary competition; new signing Kieran Trippier. Even if he loses out to Trippier, he is all but assured a regular place on the Spurs 18 man roster in really any match that matters.

Prediction: The right back position is Kyle Walker’s to lose. His raw athleticism creates fits for the opposition and dictates that they stay honest in their shape. A healthy and in form Kyle Walker and Danny Rose outside back combination is a tantalizing prospect that would create the type of attacking football that Spurs are known for. Some might prefer the more well balanced game that Trippier offers, but at 25 years old, Walker is entering his prime and has a higher upside than his challenger.



