Kyle Walker lauds Manchester City backroom staff member for specific success after ‘hours and hours’ of work

Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has praised the club’s set-piece coach after recent success against both Tottenham and Burnley.

Nathan Ake and Julian Alvarez have both netted crucial goals in the past week for Manchester City from set-pieces, with important wins in both the Emirates FA Cup and Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s side beat Burnley 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening, and also secured a maiden victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week, progressing to the fifth round of the competition after a late 1-0 win in north London.

Kevin De Bruyne assisted both goals; with a corner kick aimed at the goalkeeper against Tottenham, and a deceiving free-kick move against Burnley in midweek.

The Belgian has been instrumental since his recent return for the Blues, involved in goals against Huddersfield, Newcastle, Spurs and Burnley.

De Bruyne provided insight into Manchester City’s recent training on set-pieces on Wednesday night, meanwhile captain Kyle Walker also revealed that the team had recently been working on pre-meditated plays.

Speaking following last Friday’s fourth round victory at Tottenham, Walker said: “We’ve worked on set pieces this week and we’ve been working hard – in Abu Dhabi and in Manchester. It’s something we worked on and thought it was an area where we could exploit.

“It’s paid off – full credit to the set-piece coach who works hard and spends hours and hours watching videos. We just have to execute the plan.

“We’ve got a job – if we have to win games like that, we don’t mind, as long as we come away with the victory. That’s the most important for the club, the players and the fans.”

Manchester City continue their Premier League title bid with a trip to Brentford on Monday evening, with Thomas Frank’s side well known for their impressive set-piece work.

The west London side beat City both home and away last season, winning 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium and 1-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.