FEELING CHAMPION!
Walker’s £52million move is justified . . . but Guardiola still demands more
FOR Kyle Walker, the emotions were heady and intense as his first return to a club he served for eight years took him tantalisingly close to the title.
Relief and satisfaction washed around the Manchester City dressing room after Saturday’s 3-1 win at Wembley as Walker wrestled with his lingering affections for Tottenham and a feeling that his decision to force a move last summer had been justified.
‘You always say, “Is the grass greener on the other side?” It looks it this way,’ said Walker, as he climbed aboard the team bus clutching the shirt of Kieran Trippier.
‘We won the Carabao Cup and that was a step in the right direction for me. But to be competing in the Premier League since I was 19 and to play all the games I played in the Premier League and to not win the Premier League . . .
‘So to come here, and it’s in touching distance now, in my first season, it’s fantastic for me.’
Within 24 hours, he was a champion, the perfect response to criticism from Mauricio Pochettino about the manner of his exit from Spurs. Pochettino accused him of ‘an alarming lack of respect for his team-mates’, but both have moved on.
‘Whatever you read, I know what really happened,’ said Walker.
‘He can tell his story and I can tell my story but I won’t stand here and slag people off because that’s not what I’m about.
‘I left because it was a time in my career that I needed to move on and luckily it’s worked out.’
Walker’s success will haunt Tottenham as Pochettino tackles similar situations with Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose. Alderweireld was not in the squad despite being fit and is set to leave. Rose, who is injured, wants out.
They want to challenge for the biggest trophies and, let’s be honest, earn more money than they can at Spurs.
Pochettino, determined to be authoritative, is without three of last season’s defensive unit and saw his team torn apart by Manchester City for the second time this season.
Gabriel Jesus and a penalty from Ilkay Gundogan put City two up. Raheem Sterling added a third and might have scored more after Christian Eriksen pulled one back.
Tottenham are fourth, seven points clear of Chelsea with five to play, on course to return to the Champions League and chasing a first FA Cup triumph since 1991.
They face Manchester United in a semi-final on Saturday and Walker is cheering them on.
‘Please God they go and do that because their lads deserve it. To do that in a season when they had a lot of ifs and buts about Wembley would be very good for them.’
City, meanwhile, can coast home through their final five games chasing little more than vanity targets such as Chelsea’s record of 95 points in the Premier League.
It has been the perfect antidote to three defeats in a week and the end of a European campaign at the hands of Liverpool.
‘It was crushing,’ admitted Walker. ‘We went from doing so well to taking three losses and sometimes it felt like a relegation battle in there with the mood.
‘We’re all winners and we want to win and in those games we didn’t. But we put that right and that shows the character and the standard of our players.’ TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-2-3-1): Lloris 5; Trippier 6, Sanchez 5, Vertonghen 6, Davies 5.5; Dier 5.5, Dembele 6 (Moura 73min, 5); Lamela 5 (Son 64, 5), Eriksen 6.5, Alli, 5 (Sissoko 84); Kane 6. Subs not used: Vorm, K Sterling, Aurier, Wanyama. Scorer: Eriksen 42. Booked: Davies, Lloris, Dembele. Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 6. MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Emerson 6.5; Walker 7, Kompany 8, Laporte 6.5, Delph 6; Gundogan 7; R STERLING 8.5, De Bruyne 7.5 (Toure 89), Silva 7, Sane 6.5 (Otamendi 64, 6); Jesus 7 (Bernardo 76). Subs not used: Bravo, Zinchenko, Foden, Diaz. Scorers: Jesus 22, Gundogan 25 pen, R Sterling 72. Booked: De Bruyne, Jesus, Kompany, Delph. Manager: Pep Guardiola 7. Referee: Jon Moss 6. Attendance: 80,811.