Manchester City ‘don’t press well or stop counters’ and sorely miss Kyle Walker’s recovery speed, claims Thierry Henry.
Walker, 35, played his last game for the club in January 2025 before going out on loan to AC Milan and currently plays for Burnley, who have the option to make the move permanent in the summer.
In his prime, the right-back’s incredible recovery speed allowed City to take more risks, knowing he would be there to bail them out.
City were humbled in the Champions League on Tuesday night, losing 3-1 away at minnows Bodo/Glimt and Henry believes Pep Guardiola’s side clearly miss that kind of defensive profile.
Speaking on CBS Sport, the Arsenal and France legend said: ‘Listen, when you’re a team who wants to be on the ball, you don’t press well, you don’t stop counters and you lost Kyle Walker to recover everything that happens, you’re behind the eight ball.’
Micah Richards then added: ‘They used to be able to retain the ball very well and get high with the possession…
Thierry Henry believes Man City are still struggling to replace Kyle Walker
Man City were humbled in the Champions League in their 3-1 defeat by Bodo/Glimt
Henry continued: ‘Pep used to not make you realise who he lost. Sergio Aguero left, I’m not saying it wasn’t noticed, but you were not missing him.
‘David Silva, the same, the guys who have left now haven’t been replaced, this is why.
‘And we were talking about it a bit before off air, this is why this year and last year they went to get players in January, because they were not happy with what they recruited before and that is the first time.
‘But if you don’t press well and you don’t stop counters any more, how are you going to stay there, you lose possession, you have to recover it straight away to stay there (up the pitch). Otherwise it is a counter, a goal or a corner, you are in trouble.’
Man City spent £127m last January, £150m more in the summer and have already splashed out on Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi this window.
But they have won just two of their last seven games – and one of those was Exeter City.
On Tuesday night, following the low of an abject Manchester derby defeat by their cross-city rivals at the weekend, came the latest blow.
They were undone repeatedly with defensive lapses and Rodri was sent off after picking up two yellow cards within the space of a minute.
Walker, in action for Burnley, used to be able to bail out Man City when their press failed
Afterwards, Guardiola reflected: ‘We have to come back – the results since 2025 is not good, in terms of the Premier League and now today,” he said after the game.
‘But we go forward, Wolves and then Galatasaray. We have the feeling everything is going wrong, the details, but we have to try and change that.
‘I don’t have any doubts in this competition, nothing is taken for granted that is for sure.
‘[Manchester] United beat us and were better. Today they had momentum. But the team was there and we created – on the transition they are really good.’
