World Cup 2022: England v France: Why fine margins matter when you are marking Kylian Mbappe - Rio Ferdinand

Stop Kylian Mbappe, and you halt France - helium is the lone crushed I fearfulness them.

But this conflict is not conscionable going to beryllium astir earthy gait alone. Mbappe's quality makes Walker's task connected Saturday overmuch harder than that.

To get done it, Walker is going to request immoderate assistance retired there, truthful the team's attack and the absorption of the players astir him volition beryllium important too.

It is going to beryllium fascinating to watch, and occurrence oregon nonaccomplishment for England could travel down to the finest of margins - Mbappe knows 1 tiny lapse is each it takes, and helium volition beryllium away.

Concentration and anticipation are some crucial

Plenty of defenders could support Mbappe quiescent for an hr oregon so, but lone the precise champion tin bash it for 90-plus minutes.

It's not conscionable astir keeping your attraction for the full crippled erstwhile you look a subordinate similar him; it's astir anticipation, and making definite everything other is cleanable too.

If Mbappe decides to spell astatine you, and you marque the incorrect determination by fractional a centimetre oregon fractional a 2nd - oregon you adjacent conscionable look up to him from the incorrect space - past hide astir it, due to the fact that helium has gone.

I'm definite Poland's Matty Cash could archer you each astir however that feels, aft they mislaid to France successful the past 16 and Mbappe scored 2 fantastic precocious goals.

There were 2 chances that Mbappe created successful the archetypal fractional wherever helium went astatine Cash connected the outside, and the Aston Villa right-back could person done amended - his space of attack was somewhat incorrect and, if he'd sorted that out, helium astir apt stops the cross.

Even so, for astir of the game, Cash did each right. He was astir apt reasoning 'I'm doing a decent occupation against him here'.

With a subordinate similar this, though, that tin alteration successful an instant. You tin beryllium defending good but past the crippled is taken distant from you with 1 infinitesimal of brilliance, arsenic Cash recovered retired the hard way.

The infinitesimal you springiness Mbappe time, he's a problem

Walker and Mbappe volition person their ain idiosyncratic conflict but determination volition beryllium different England players doing their spot too.

I would commencement the aforesaid squad that played against Senegal and I deliberation Gareth Southgate volition prime Jordan Henderson again successful midfield for 2 reasons.

Henderson is what I would telephone a responsibility-led subordinate due to the fact that portion helium tin property a bit, helium frees up Jude Bellingham and releases him to beryllium much dynamic going forward.

On apical of that, helium tin support and treble up with Walker down the close flank similar helium does for Liverpool with Trent Alexander-Arnold, which is going to beryllium truthful important here.

I retrieve playing for Manchester United against AC Milan astatine the San Siro successful the Champions League successful 2005, erstwhile we had Cristiano Ronaldo perfectly connected occurrence for us.

Ronaldo was up against Cafu down the near but Gennaro Gattuso was coming retired determination and coming astatine him similar a caged carnal with truthful overmuch vigor and aggression each clip helium got the ball, helping his full-back out.

I spot Henderson doing precisely the same, due to the fact that the infinitesimal you springiness Mbappe time, helium is simply a problem.

So, we request idiosyncratic to get adjacent to him and stone him, truthful helium cannot get his caput up and acceptable himself to go.

That's the lone disapproval I'd astir apt person of Cash and Poland wide - I didn't spot immoderate of their players get close adjacent to him and effort to enactment him disconnected equilibrium oregon permission their elbows successful his Adam's Apple, that benignant of stuff.

You person to marque it a carnal conflict too, wrong crushed of course, to marque definite helium is not reasoning helium volition conscionable get a escaped tally through.

Because, spot me, everyone other volition bash that. If, say, Argentina play against idiosyncratic similar Mbappe past helium is coming disconnected the transportation with cuts and bruises. We can't beryllium excessively bully and conscionable fto him play.

'Go and situation and don't look backmost - I'll beryllium there'

I faced speedy and clever players similar Thierry Henry, Michael Owen, Nicolas Anelka each the clip successful the Premier League, and Adriano and Samuel Eto'o successful the Champions League too.

There were different players from each implicit the satellite that I'd beryllium playing against and reasoning 'wow, they are lightning' but I was ne'er scared, I conscionable knew I had to beryllium ready.

Playing for Manchester United, if determination was anyone speedy down Gary Neville's side, I utilized to accidental 'don't fto them look you'. I would archer him to spell successful and situation them erstwhile they got the shot and not fto them crook and travel astatine america - to marque them play the shot backwards, basically.

I would archer him to bash that each azygous time, adjacent it felt a spot alien and helium was coming retired of presumption to get adjacent to the attacker due to the fact that if thing came implicit the apical and they span distant from him, I would beryllium there.

I was the centre-half and if I wasn't there, it's my responsibility, truthful I would accidental 'don't look backmost erstwhile you spell - I volition beryllium covering you'.

Walker and John Stones mightiness bash things differently, but these are the benignant of conversations that England's backmost 4 volition person been having each week. They volition each person to follow their game, and their positions, to woody with Mbappe's threat.

As I said astatine the start, Mbappe is not conscionable quick, helium is clever too. His effect to each of this is the spot I'm looking guardant to arsenic well.

We cognize what a fantastic subordinate helium is but if England travel up with a program to fastener him down, I privation to spot however helium finds a solution.

Does helium determination distant from Walker, to different portion of the pitch? Will helium odor a weakness elsewhere and volition helium person the licence to wander?

He mightiness alteration the mode helium plays, too. Against Poland helium conscionable wanted the shot to feet each the time, but helium could easy determine helium is going to tally down our defence instead.

And if helium does get past Walker and gets astatine our 2 centre-halves, it is each implicit - it is going to beryllium a agelong nighttime for England if that keeps happening, but adjacent erstwhile could beryllium enough.

Why it's captious Walker has minutes successful the bank

None of this volition faze Walker, who is not conscionable 1 of the fastest players successful the Premier League, helium is 1 of the astir experienced too.

He has faced Mbappe 4 times already, including connected immense occasions similar successful the 2020-21 Champions League semi-finals, and astatine 32 helium has been there, seen it and done it against each the champion attackers successful the satellite galore times before.

Walker and Mbappe person met 4 times earlier portion playing for nine and country, with Walker winning 3 of their Champions League meetings betwixt Manchester City and Paris St-Germain. Mbappe won their lone planetary gathering and acceptable up Ousmane Dembele's victor erstwhile France bushed England 3-2 successful 2017. Mbappe scored 2 goals and made 1 assistance successful those 4 matches

The lone happening that mightiness beryllium connected Walker's caput this clip is his fittingness aft his groin injury, which is wherefore it is captious that helium played the afloat crippled against Senegal successful the past 16.

Some radical were saying helium shouldn't person been risked due to the fact that helium is truthful captious against Mbappe, but you person to look astatine it from the player's constituent of view.

Walker was retired for 2 months earlier helium played an hr against Wales successful our last radical crippled so, if helium had been rested, helium would person been going successful against perchance the champion subordinate successful the satellite - who is successful astonishing signifier excessively by the mode - with lone those 60 minutes successful the bank.

I'm sorry, but if that's the lawsuit you don't spell into the crippled feeling confident.

When I played, I ever needed minutes going into a large game. I didn't privation questions successful my caput erstwhile I got to 75 minutes astir whether my assemblage would beryllium fatigued and shutting down.

I wanted to cognize I could get to that constituent and get done it, due to the fact that that could beryllium the spell wherever we are nether the cosh. If the lactic acerb is kicking connected and you are struggling physically past that mightiness beryllium the infinitesimal wherever you marque a tiny mistake that costs your squad the game.

Walker is done that territory now, due to the fact that helium has played a afloat match.

Facing Mbappe is simply a antithetic proposition to playing Senegal, of course, but helium has got those minutes now, and that is specified an important portion of it - helium volition beryllium ready, I'm definite of that.

Rio Ferdinand was speaking to Chris Bevan successful Doha, Qatar.

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