As a Manchester City fan, I have to admire Kyle Walker’s dedication. Despite barely training over the last three weeks, Walker pushed himself to make the starting lineup against Bournemouth, feeling that, as captain, he had a responsibility to lead by example.
At 33, Walker hadn’t played in the last four games and only managed a brief training session the Friday before the team’s trip to the south coast. With City in the middle of an injury crisis and Pep Guardiola urging his squad to play through pain, Walker chose to step up. He joined several teammates battling injuries but willing to give everything they had for the team.
Unfortunately, City suffered their first Premier League loss in 11 months, missing the chance to capitalize on Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle. But with key players like Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku returning, the team heads to Lisbon with a renewed sense of purpose. For Walker, showing resilience at Bournemouth was about setting the right tone.
“We have to be ready,” Walker explained. “I felt as good as possible. Sometimes the captain needs to step up when I could have maybe had a little bit longer, but that’s no excuse. I was there for the lads, and full credit to everyone out there—people were playing with knocks, kicks, bruises, pulls. That just shows the determination and what they want to do for the badge or the club.”
Walker also acknowledged the demands of the relentless schedule ahead, saying, “We have to keep going because there’s a schedule. It’s a busy schedule, every three days for god knows how long. That’s just the way football is at the minute.”
As captain, Walker emphasized the importance of unity in these challenging times: “We stick together even more. I, first and foremost, as a captain, have to make sure that I rally the troops up, and we all stick together. Those that are injured—be there for the lads that are playing; those on the bench—be there for the lads that are playing and be ready to come on and make an impact.”
Walker’s leadership extended to recognizing the contributions of everyone involved, especially those who came off the bench. “The lads that came on today did fantastically well and that just shows the togetherness. We’ve got a squad in there that is still a very, very good squad, so there are no excuses. Things happen in football, and we’ve probably had a lot of injuries at the same time to key players.”
Reflecting on the loss, Walker was philosophical, saying, “We need to take our medicine today, and it’s something we can learn from. We’re very happy when we win—and we win a lot of the time—but we have to take our medicine when we lose.”
In typical sportsman spirit, he added, “We had a fantastic run of games unbeaten, and it was always going to come to an end. You don’t want it to come, but sometimes you take your hat off to the opponents, say well done, and move on.”
For City fans like me, seeing Walker embody this kind of grit and perspective, especially when things aren’t going our way, is inspiring. It’s a reminder that while the team may be battling injuries, their spirit and togetherness remain as strong as ever.
