“Will be a huge loss”, “Real surprise” – Manchester City fans question Guardiola for leaving 33-year-old out of Champions League final line-up
Fans are questioning Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's decision to exclude Kyle Walker from the first XI against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final. The two sides clash at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul on Saturday, June 10.
Walker has been a prominent presence in the right full-back spot for the Cityzens. His pace is of great help to the Manchester club. This was evident as he kept Vinicius Jr. silent in Manchester City's 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg.
Ederson Moraes starts between the sticks for City against Inter. John Stones, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and Manuel Akanji form the back four. Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, and Kevin De Bruyne are the three midfielders. Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva start in the attack alongside the talismanic Erling Haaland.
Considering Inter are a team that operate in a pacey manner, Guardiola's decision to bench Walker has come as a surprise. The Englishman has made 38 appearances for the club across competitions. However, he could only make the bench for the final in Istanbul.
Fans reacted to the decision, with one of them writing on Twitter:
"Walker will be a huge loss. Considering the pace of Inter."
Another claimed:
"Ake over Walker the only real surprise there."
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after Kyle Walker was not named in Manchester City's first XI to play Inter Milan:
🩵 TEAM NEWS 🩵
XI | Ederson, Akanji, Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Walker, Phillips, Laporte, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Perrone, Foden, Palmer, Lewis
#ManCity | #UCLfinal https://t.co/6eYE8aTGTH
@ManCity @ErlingHaaland Walker will be a huge loss. Considering the pace of Inter
@ManCity @ErlingHaaland No walker is criminal
@ManCity @ErlingHaaland Walker?
@ManCity @ErlingHaaland No Walker :(
@ManCity @ErlingHaaland Whys he benched Walker??
@ManCity @ErlingHaaland I thought walker would've started
Ake over Walker the only real surprise there twitter.com/mancity/status…
City have the chance to win the treble this season. They have already won the FA Cup and the Premier League and are looking to win their first-ever UEFA Champions League title. With the win, they can also become the first English side to win a treble after Manchester United did it in 1999.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola shared his take on Inter Milan ahead of the Champions League final
The consensus notion is that Inter Milan will look to play defensively against Manchester City in the Champions League final. The Serie A side, though, defeated AC Milan in the semi-final Milan derbies by an aggregate of 3-0.
Pep Guardiola recognized that Simone Inzaghi's team have enough firepower in their ranks. Speaking about the Nerazzurri, the City manager said ahead of the clash at the Ataturk Stadium (via Sportstar):
“There are many. Inter are a team used not only to defend. There is a belief that Italian teams only know how to defend, but Inter can do many other things.”
Manchester City are looking to win the Champions League for the first time. It would be silly to underestimate Inter Milan, though. The Italian side are keen on adding to their own legacy by winning the tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season.