Newcastle United will need to find a way past Kyle Walker on Saturday.
The Magpies face Manchester City at St James’ Park this weekend, with Paul Merson predicting Newcastle United to lose.
Eddie Howe’s side will go into the game as underdogs. Newcastle United have not played well this season, while Manchester City are top of the Premier League after five games.
Newcastle’s big players are not delivering, with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon well below their best.
Hopefully they rise to the occasion against Manchester City on Saturday, and Kyle Walker has been very complimentary about one of Eddie Howe’s most important players.
Kyle Walker explains why he respects Anthony Gordon
Speaking on the You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast, the Manchester City defender admitted that a lot of opponents shy away from running directly at him nowadays because he has such a great reputation when it comes to one-on-one defending.
However, Walker says he massively respects players who will run at him, such as Gordon.
“Not a lot of players now try to run me,” he said.
“The ones who do try I respect them more because they have tried.
“For example, Anthony Gordon, he will have a go at me every time and for that I have a lot of respect for him because he can keep going and he’s wanting to improve.”
Respect goes both ways between Newcastle and Man City stars
Interestingly, Gordon has spoke very positively about Walker in the recent past.
Back in April 2024, Gordon appeared on The Overlap and spoke about how hard it is to play against the 34-year-old.
“I do not dread coming up against any defenders, but Kyle Walker is one I know is going to be tough because I know it is going to be a hard game,” he said.
“I look forward to challenges like that as it is normally when I perform to my best.
“I would look at the mental side to beat someone like Walker psychologically. So, I would cover his runs and let him know he is in for a hard game. You have to just figure out different ways to beat players like him, like catching them in transition because he plays so high.
“The total distance I cover every game is around 11km, but high speed running will be around 1,600 to 1,700m every game. Against Walker, it was 1,800m. We went man for man against City so we were man-marking each other and me and him were just racing down the line the entire game.”
Unclear whether Walker will face Gordon on Saturday
When Newcastle United last played against Man City at St James’ Park, Gordon showed no fear.
He showed real bravery to attack Walker and get him on the back foot, just like Allan Saint-Maximin did when Newcastle faced Man City in August 2022.
A lot of players in black and white have caused Walker problems, with Gordon getting himself a goal when the two sides met back in January.
Walker has made it clear how much he respects Gordon for his approach, just days before the two players could meet again.
However, Walker might have a different opponent on Saturday. That is because Eddie Howe is trying to get Harvey Barnes and Gordon in his starting XI, with the former much more suited to playing on the left – where he would come up against Walker.
Hopefully Barnes can earn Walker’s respect as well, as he aims to continue his excellent run of form. Barnes is playing the best football of his Newcastle career, with three goals and an assist already this season.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
