Brought in as one of the key pieces of transfer business over the summer, it’s taken a while for Tyler Walker to demonstrate his importance to the team. Due to a lack of pre-season fitness, a Covid-enforced period of absence and the form of Matt Godden, Walker was unable to hit the ground running at Coventry City. On the one hand, it has meant that Walker has struggled to build momentum at the club, on the other, it has reduced the burden of expectation on him to hit the ground running. While it still feels like Tyler Walker is yet to find his best form in a Coventry City shirt, there are increasingly promising signs that he can develop into the reliable goalscorer who can drag this team to safety.
Walker’s primary attributes as a striker are his pace and finishing ability, which is supplemented by his physical presence. That combination of threats means that he can occupy defenders in a range of manners. Although his physical attributes and work-rate mean that he is capable of playing as a lone striker, he is much more of a threat when played in a partnership. Walker is still learning his trade as an all-round striker and can find himself isolated or running down blind alleys when played on his own, lessening that burden on him by playing him in a strike pairing makes his range of physical and technical skills much more menacing.
Three league goals and an assist from his opening ten league appearances for the club is a solid return, especially from someone who has had to catch-up in terms of his fitness levels and is in his first season as a regular starter at Championship level. Having nailed-down a starting role – aided by Matt Godden being injured – the task for Tyler Walker now is to get better. He has shown he can lead the line ably and score at a respectable rate, but there are improvements to be made in his all-round game and finishing. At the moment, Walker is playing like someone keen to make an impression, rather than with the confidence and swagger that a leading striker at this level would have.
Sideways Sammy 