City must ‘right the wrongs’ of 2021 Champions League final loss: Walker

FILE PHOTO: Manchester City’s Kyle Walker celebrates after winning the FA Cup.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Manchester City is determined to “right the wrongs” of its defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final when it takes on Inter Milan on Saturday in this year’s showpiece, defender Kyle Walker said.

Pep Guardiola’s side has wrapped up a fifth Premier League title in six seasons, beat Manchester United to win the FA Cup last weekend, and could be crowned European champions for the first time with victory over Inter in Istanbul.

City’s only previous Champions League final appearance ended in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea.

“We know we are a good team but to be recognised globally as one of the best teams you need to win the Champions League,” Walker told British media on Wednesday.

“It doesn’t define what this squad has achieved over the last six years … We have a second chance with Pep and the group of players who have stayed around and we need to put right the wrongs we did against Chelsea.”

City could become only the second English club to complete the treble and Walker said they were driven by the desire to match United’s feat from 1999.

Walker said City must win Europe’s elite club competition if they want to be considered among the great teams of English football alongside the likes of United’s 1999 side and Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’, who went through the 2003-04 league campaign unbeaten.

“That United team, along with the Invincibles, are probably up there with the best Premier League teams of all time,” Walker said.

“What us and Liverpool – to a certain extent – have done where we have been battling for the last number of years, I think we should be in consideration but they have got the big Champions League trophy that we can never say we have got.

“So, for us to be in contention of talking around that, we need to go and pick this up.”