England's Walker backs himself to stop French star Mbappe from scoring at World Cup 2022 quarter-finals
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Dec 7, 2022, 10:22 PM ISTEngland right-back Kyle Walker refused to focus solely on Kylian Mbappe ahead of the Three Lions' quarter-final against France at the Qatar World Cup 2022 on Saturday.
Ahead of England's World Cup 2022 quarter-final clash against defending champions France, right-back Kyle Walker has sent a strong message to sensational forward Kylian Mbappe and also stressed the importance of playing as a team in the do-or-die match.
The Manchester City defender also explained that he respects the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star and noted that he would do everything possible to help his team qualify for the next round in Qatar.
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"The game isn't England v Mbappe. It's England vs France," Walker said while addressing a press conference ahead of Saturday's high-octane clash.
"We will give respect, but I'm not going to roll out a red carpet for him (Mbappe) to score. It's do or die. If we lose, we go home. I do understand what I need to do, and that's to stop him. It's probably easier said than done, but I don't underestimate myself," the Englishman added.
"I've come across great players before, so I just treat it like another game. I'll give him (Mbappe) the respect he deserves but not too much because this is England. No one player makes the team," Walker remarked.
Prior to their Champions League matchup, Mbappe had emphasised that Walker had given him a challenging game. "That's nice to hear because he had a tough game against me," Walker added.
"I know he's a top player but we're not playing tennis. It's not a solo sport, it's a team game. Anything can happen in 90 minutes. They need to worry about us, not just us worrying about them," the England star concluded.
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