Kyle Walker has rejected one big criticism of Manchester City that many people have had following the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
City could not end the season on a high on Saturday, as they lost 2-1 to their bitter rivals at Wembley.
Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored for United in the first-half, with City looking shellshocked to be 2-0 down.
That was not in the script, and it was then difficult for City to breach a stubborn United defence in the second-half. Jeremy Doku, who was a bright spark for the Citizens, did pull one back in the 87th minute.
But United held out for the win, and City finish the season with the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Following the defeat to United, some have questioned whether City’s Premier League title celebrations last weekend were a factor behind the poor performance – but captain Kyle Walker has rejected this…
Kyle Walker insists Man City Premier League title celebrations did not hinder them during FA Cup final vs Man United
Last Sunday, Manchester City made history by securing a fourth straight Premier League title.
The club beat West Ham United 3-1 on the final day, to fend off the challenge from Arsenal once and for all. And that night, the City squad hit up Manchester to celebrate their historic achievement.
The party went on until the early hours, and several were snapped looking worse for wear.
The players did not return to training until Wednesday, and some have pointed to these title celebrations as a reason for the dip in performance leaves against United. There was a real lethargy and sloppiness about City in the first-half, but in the eyes of £50 million signing Walker, the Premier League title celebrations were not to blame.
He said (via The Independent): “We celebrated on Sunday, this was Saturday. It’s six days. If us athletes can’t recover in six days there’s no chance for anyone.
“We had to take that moment on Sunday because if we’re celebrating now, on a downer, it won’t feel right.
“The moment was right. The club, the players and staff made that decision. Let’s not blame that.”
Preparations might have been better
People are obviously looking for reasons behind City’s performance levels against United in the FA Cup final, and it was probably inevitable that those Premier League title celebrations would come into focus.
When historic achievements are made, then it is really important to acknowledge and celebrate them. A huge amount of hard work went into that fourth straight Premier League title, and what is the point in it all if the players can’t even enjoy it.
However, it may well be that some went overboard. But perhaps the decision for the players not to return to training until Wednesday should be looked at more than the actual title celebrations.
Maybe the loss of rhythm caused by this short break was ultimately the marginal gain for United.