by Kyle Walker has launched a scathing defense of himself and the criticism he faces as he prepares to lift his second trophy in five months as Manchester City’s stand-in captain.
Walker, who almost left City for Bayern Munich in the summer, promised they could live with the “heat” of expectations and that he was always under pressure and scrutiny – and never more so given City’s recent results.
“I’m always going to get hot,” said the 33-year-old. “If I’m not doing something right, I’m always under scrutiny. That’s my whole working life but it gives me the fire to keep going. I’ve had a lot of criticism from the fans about me being the captain and it’s all my fault. We are a team. We are in a team game. I’ve always said throughout my career that if I wanted to play an individual sport I’d go play tennis or golf.”
Since Kevin De Bruyne’s injury in August, Walker has taken over the captaincy from Belgium – himself newly installed following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan – and gave a rousing pre-match speech on the pitch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday.
That was in the wake of City Club’s World Cup semi-final win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds, which propels Walker and his teammates into Friday’s final against Brazil’s Fluminense. Walker captained the European champions to victory in the Uefa Super Cup final in August and while De Bruyne is back training with the first team, Pep Guardiola has said he will not be included this week.
Walker, in his seventh season at the club, remains the Premier League’s best defender and has also captained England, an 81-cap international. It was clear that the relentless nature of maintaining City dominance is having an impact.
“I feel like one of the more experienced players and as captain, I will have to take that burden. It’s something I have to carry on my shoulders. I told the lads in the huddle that we are here because of what we have achieved. No one is going to roll out the red carpet for us. We have to go and earn the right. Other teams are thinking they can come and play against us and… you know what? Full credit to them.
“Liverpool, Tottenham and [Crystal] Palace games – we are always defending. That’s not me sticking with the defense but we’re not killing games like we used to. We are always guarding on a knife edge. But listen, we defenders have to deal with that pressure. Sometimes we have to play games and save the day.”
How did that criticism reach him? He mainly listens to radio phone calls in his car, he said, and a few select highlights sent to him by his parents. Walker’s rise to prominence as one of Europe’s best players has also been accompanied by a rather chaotic private life, and he has often said it was difficult to come to terms with the outcome.
“I’m sending it [criticism]. It is natural. I have a mum and dad who care about me and when their son is being hammered… I feel in football it is premature. [Fans have] short memories. I remember going home in the car. Jeremy [Doku] came in, fired up, and suddenly it’s ‘Jack Grealish should be out.’ Now Jack scores and it’s ‘Keep it in the club’. It is what it is. That gives me motivation. Keep going and I’ll be back again.”
Discussing City’s current state – they have taken seven points from their last six Premier League games and dropped to fourth – Walker said winning the Premier League was more difficult than the Champions League. He added that to compare with the great Manchester United teams of the 1990s and 2000s and the Liverpool dynasty that preceded them in the 1970s and 1980s, this generation of City had to win more for longer.
With the possibility of five trophies in one year, haven’t City already earned a place among the great teams in recent English football history? “It makes it easy if you say it like that but to go and do it like Manchester United and Ryan Giggs who has won 13 titles … it’s a coin flip,” Walker said. “I’ve been involved in the Premier League since I was 19. I’m 33 now. I can assure you that it is much more difficult to win the Premier League than the Champions League.”
“In the Champions League you need a bit of luck to swing your way, as he did in the final for us. We played an okay game but if [Romelu] Lukaku puts that in the net, are we here now or not? In the Premier League it is a 38 game rally. And I can tell you it’s a slog. To do what we have done, we are very proud of myself, and we have won five out of six years, to be recognized as one of the best clubs in the world we have to do it for a little bit more. [longer].”
Another Premier League title this season would be the fourth in a row for English football. It’s never been done in this era or the Football League. The epic legal battle with the Premier League rages in the background, and casts a shadow.
“I don’t think we’ll be looked at differently for a few years,” Walker said. “To go and achieve things like Liverpool and Manchester United … they did it year in, year out for a number of years. So it’s obviously a great achievement to be considered the best club in the world but the lads know we’re just starting the building blocks for this club. The club has won the Premiership in the past, but we have never done it before in such a dominant way.”
‘Maybe this is what we need – a snap back to reality, and here we go again’
Walker said the departure of Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez – “good players in the Premier League who have good experience of the game inside and out, know how the manager wants to work” had an effect. De Bruyne’s absence also played a part. “Who doesn’t want Kevin De Bruyne on the pitch? Everybody does,” Walker said. “Because he brings the goals, he brings the assists.”
Regarding the second half of the Premier League season, he said City’s players were confident.
“We’re right there. I feel confident. The lads feel confident. Maybe this is what we need from such a high – a jump back to reality, and we go again. Hopefully that’s a starting block where we go on a good run, which we need to do over the Christmas period, and pick up the points.”
As for the prospect of being ten points behind Arsenal when they return, Walker said that did not worry him. “It’s not. We have been in that position when we had ten clear points – [ahead of] Liverpool – and then suddenly they are snapping at your heels. What will be. We can’t do anything about the Premier League while we’re here [in Saudi] … now we’re in the final, let’s go and win that. And then think about the Premier League when we return.”
