Lewis Ferguson led Bologna to a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday night, ending their 51-year trophy drought in the process. Rossoneri supporters have shared their thoughts on Kyle Walker’s 30-minute cameo after he replaced fellow countryman Fikayo Tomori.
Sergio Conceicao and his team were hoping to capture the second trophy of the 2024–25 season inside a boisterous Stadio Olimpico. They added another Supercoppa to their swollen cabinet in January after Tammy Abraham’s winner in the 93rd minute.
Dan Ndoye started and closed the scoring after eluding pressure in the area and slamming his shot past the unfortunate Mike Maignan in the Milan goal, but Bologna was the squad that was able to stand tall and receive their winners’ trophies.
A Closer Look at Walker’s 30-Minute Cameo
Albeit heavily involved, Walker’s effort was largely unfruitful
The Englishman, who is considered to be among the greatest right-backs in Premier League history, was moved out on loan by Manchester City to keep his legs moving. Since the move in January 2025, he has only made 16 appearances.
Walker had a promising start, as shown by his inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad. However, his honeymoon period ended fast, and he has battled to establish himself as a reliable starter in the Italian city.
Walker is regarded in Premier League circles as a quick and dependable right-back, so it made sense for him to be brought on in the second half when his Italian employers were trying to score. However, during his brief time on the grass, he was mainly unknown.
Due to AC Milan’s increasing pressure in the last stages of the affair, he enjoyed many touches; nonetheless, the problems stem from what resulted from those touches. Although it looks good to have seven passes into the final third, his long ball success rate (1/3; 33%) only serves to highlight how unsuccessful his attempts were.
Sempre Milan stated in their Player Ratings article: “A shocker from someone who’s supposed to be very experienced.” Extremely poor attacking choices, failure to cross when necessary, failure to complete his runs, and generally awful passing.
“This is a hall of shame performance,” say fans of Walker’s Coppa Italia performance.
In addition to being scolded by the Italian press, Rossoneri supporters have also expressed their disapproval. One person commented, “Kyle Walker really refuses to cross the ball,” while another stated, “Kyle Walker’s performance is a hall of shame.”
His failure to step up and make an impact in the latter third was what most frustrated the San Siro supporters. Sometimes the loanee chose to return even though his teammates, who were all wearing red and black, were waiting for a delivery. They stated:
“Kyle Walker chose to make a back pass after noticing the majority of his teammates in the penalty box.”
Walker’s “disasterclass” was blamed by one fan for the inability of Conceicao, who Fabrizio Romano claims would depart the team at the conclusion of the season, and his staff to win another trophy. “A second trophy will be lost for AC Milan due to Kyle Walker’s disasterclass.”
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