Can Guardiola fix 'fragile' City after latest implosion?

Rebuilding his ageing side will bea greater challenge than building it in the first place for one of the greats

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The name of Kyle Walker’s weekly podcast on BBC Sounds is a nod to his reputation as one of Europe’s quickest defenders: You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker. Unless, that is, you are Adama Traore or Timo Werner, who have both beaten the Manchester City captain with apparent ease in recent weeks.

Traore left Walker for dead in a straight sprint from the halfway line during City’s 3-2 win over Fulham in October (only to fluff his finish), while Werner breezed past him to set up Tottenham’s fourth goal last Saturday, which extended the champions’ remarkable losing streak to five matches. Walker used to deal with even the top-flight’s fastest forwards but the 34-year-old has lost a crucial yard this season, which appears to have taken him by surprise.

This is not to mock or dismiss Walker, who is among the many City players to suffer from injuries this term, but age catches up with the best of us, and you wonder if he is finally coming to the end of a sustained period as the Premier League’s foremost flying full-back.