Southampton are lucky to have a player of the quality of Kyle Walker-Peters in their ranks.
The 27-year-old has been capped by England at senior level and it was a surprise to many that the full-back stayed at the Saints in the summer.
Many assumed that relegation from the Premier League also meant the departure of Walker-Peters.
However, unlike the likes of Tino Livramento, Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse, Walker-Peters stayed at St Mary’s.
The former Tottenham man has had an impressive season and was the only Southampton representative in the EFL Championship Team of the Season.
His form had gone slightly downhill in recent weeks, coinciding with a poor run from the team as a whole, but he looked back to his best in the 2-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday in which he provided the assist for Will Smallbone’s goal.
Much of this owed to the tactical change made by manager Russell Martin, who shifted from his usual 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-2 which allowed Walker-Peters to provide the attacking width from a right wing-back position.
That performance may well have served to remind everyone just how good the defender is and a Championship podcast has been raving about his talents.
Championship podcast claims Kyle Walker-Peters ‘miles too good’
With the regular season having ended on Saturday, the Not The Top 20 podcast were looking ahead to the play-offs.
Southampton know they have to get the better of West Brom if they are to get to the Wembley final on 26th May, whilst Leeds and Norwich City do battle in the other semi-final.
Talking about Southampton, co-presenter George Elek was quick to talk up the club’s chances in the semi-final, before waxing lyrical about Walker-Peters.
Elek said: “The player that’s most interesting to me tactically at Southampton is Kyle Walker-Peters, who is miles too good to be playing in the Championship. He is a full-back who has played, within the different full-back roles that exist in the modern game, has played basically every single one this season.
“So, he plays off the right and comes inside a bit like Ricardo Pereira at Leicester or Manchester City’s full-backs. Sometimes he plays on the right and stays high and wide. Sometimes he plays off the left and comes inside and I quite like that because he’s coming onto his stronger foot.”
It was not just his ability to perform in a number of roles that has impressed, though, as Elek went on to claim the Southampton man is the best in the Championship with the ball at his feet, saying:
“His dribbling ability in tight spaces is incredible. Don’t be fooled by the fact this is a full-back and not a winger who we normally expect to be the best dribblers in the league.
“I think Walker-Peters in tight spaces is probably the best dribbler in the division.”
Walker-Peters will be crucial to Southampton play-off hopes
When you watch Walker-Peters with the ball, it is difficult to argue against the claim that he is the best dribbler in the league.
His ability to go either way makes him a real menace in the final third and he is so comfortable travelling into areas of the pitch that most defenders would shy away from.
According to Transfermarkt, Walker-Peters has three goals and three assists in the Championship this season and his attacking prowess will be an important tool for Southampton in the play-offs.
It remains to be seen whether the new system Martin used against Leeds win at Leeds will be on display again against West Brom or whether it was simply a curveball against a potential play-off final opponent.
However, one of the main benefits of the tweak was that it allowed Walker-Peters to get forward on a more regular basis and, given his obvious talents, this could well be the best way to approach such high stake games.