WALKER GIVEN BENEFIT OF DOUBT
Full-back uses the hurt of being publicly questioned to provide City inspiration
MAN CITY (1) V REAL MADRID (1) 8PM, BT SPORT
IF there are pockets of self-doubt lurking in minds in Manchester City’s dressing room ahead of tonight’s blockbuster against Real Madrid, it would be no surprise.
Good luck and the Champions League have not often travelled together for the Premier League’s leading side. As Pep Guardiola pointed out, he has lost more semi-finals than he has won.
But if they were looking for a totem prior to kick-off tonight, a beacon to lend hope this could be their time, they need look no further than Kyle Walker, their still quicksilver full-back who will be tasked with shackling Real’s greatest threat – Vinicius Jr.
Walker did an impressive blocking job in last week’s first leg on the Brazilian, whose superb goal was taken from a central position, but it is nothing compared to the blocking job he has done on the self-doubt he admits crept in after he was dropped and questioned by his manager.
Walker started just three games in two months between February and April after Guardiola publicly suggested he did not have the “educated movements” to play in the floating full-back midfield role he has favoured this season.
Of the public critique, Walker said: “Did it hurt? Of course it did.You do start to doubt yourself but you have to go back to basics, to what you are good at, what he bought you for and prove him wrong and that is what I have done.”
Walker’s head-to-head with Vinicius is one of many battles City will have to win in what promises to be a game for the ages. At the end of the first leg the two embraced. Walker insists it was after Vinicius, left, tried to “rainbow flick” him.
He said: “It was kind of like, ‘Please don’t try that again – I don’t want to be a meme. “Boxers fight, have a good battle, and then they shake hands after, and that is the level of respect I have for him. Before then it is dog eat dog.”
City have consistently rattled the woodwork in Europe under Guardiola.
But if the evidence of the first leg is to be believed, City no longer believe this competition is destined to remain out of reach.
Walker said: “This group of players have been together for a number of years, where we have been able to overcome situations, where we have been in winning positions, losing positions.
“We have had rough and good moments but, hopefully, we can go and put our name in the history books for this club and put this club on the Champions League trophy.
“With this group of lads, nothing is over.
That’s just what these players do. They are born winners. They are top, worldclass players.
They seem to do it at the business end of the season.”
City should listen to their full-back – a man who might reasonably have thought his time was up but now believes their time has come.
Hopefully we can put our name on the trophy