In pursuit of a spot in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Thomas Tuchel-led England locked horns with Senegal on Tuesday evening – and one player, in particular, has received plenty of flak for his performance at the City Ground.
After a narrow 1-0 victory over Andorra on Saturday, Tuchel – just the third non-Englishman to take on the job – made plenty of personnel changes ahead of facing Les Lions de la Teranga, including the return of Arsenal poster boy Bukayo Saka.
The inevitable Harry Kane managed to open the scoring within seven minutes before Ismaila Sarr levelled proceedings five minutes shy of the half-time break. Senegal’s Habib Diarra then scored to make it 2-1 as England flattered to deceive on home soil. Cheikh Sabaly made it three in the dying stages.
England Star Struggles in 3-1 Defeat to Senegal
Caught sleeping for their opponent’s first goal of the night
As Tuchel – regarded as one of world football’s best managers – and his entourage prepare for the showpiece tournament next summer (should they qualify, that is!), the performances have not been up to scratch. And against Senegal, there were plenty of stars that caught the attention for the wrong reasons.
None more, however, than Kyle Walker, who is set to return to Manchester City soon after a loan spell at AC Milan. Having made his England debut in 2011, the one-time Champions League winner is nothing short of experienced, but are his days over?
For Senegal’s first goal, he was found sleeping as Sarr pounced on his poor positioning – watch it below. Statistically, as expected, he didn’t jump off the page with zero ground duels won. Taking 53 touches of the ball, you’d expect him to be more involved going forward, but just half of his crosses were accurate, and his defensive numbers were equally underwhelming: four clearances and one interception.
“Kyle Walker already beaten once for pace, got caught out for Senegal coal and now booked for a late challenge on Diouf. Walker used to be England’s Mr Reliable. No longer,” reputable journalist Henry Winter wrote about the defender.
Experienced on the international stage, whether Tuchel takes the seasoned 35-year-old Stateside could divide opinion, especially given how blessed they are in the right-back position: think Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento, Reece James and the like.
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Walker Labelled ‘Woeful’ By Three Lions Faithul
‘Why is Kyle Walker even in this squad?’
Suffering defeat was not on England’s agenda – and the Three Lions faithful, frustrated in the face of a loss, have expressed their dismay at Walker’s display in Nottingham Forest’s 30,445-strong stomping ground.
“Kyle Walker is absolutely finished, not good enough for the top level,” one fan admitted as another labelled the Sheffield-born man ‘woeful’. They said, “Why is Kyle Walker still playing for England in 2025? Woeful defender.”
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“Kyle Walker is so shocking,” a third fan said. England’s talent pool is thriving – and one supporter, taking to X (formerly Twitter), insisted that Walker’s inclusion is just blocking an up-and-coming youngster from earning his Three Lions stripes.
“Why is Kyle Walker even in this squad? He’s so past it and wasting the place of a young player.”
Another wrote, “Every time I look up I see Kyle Walker out of position, how does he keep getting in this England team??? Awful defender who always used his speed to bail him out of his awful positioning. Now that speed is leaving him though.”
All statistics per Sofascore – correct as of 10/06/2025
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