Kyle Walker believes Manchester City need to win the Champions League in order to reach a new level within world football.
End of season Champions League better for Walker
The right-back has won every available domestic honour since he joined the Club in July 2017 and admits lifting Europe’s top prize is now his main priority.
It’s an aim he shares with his team-mates and he says there is a collective understanding that Champions League success is required to elevate City’s standing in the game even further.
“I think if you had asked me two years ago when I signed here I would have probably said that the Premier League was the big one for me having not won it before I came here,” he explained.
“Now I have collected two of them and a number of others and this is the one that I want, and I can probably speak on behalf of the whole squad and Manchester City as well for what they need as a Club to put them onto that next pedestal.”
City will have to overcome Olympique Lyonnais in the quarter-finals on Saturday evening in order to stay on course for European glory.
The French outfit shocked Juventus to progress from the last 16 on away goals, a statement victory which Walker says highlights how dangerous they are.
However, Lyon have played just two competitive games since the Ligue One season was cancelled due COVID-19 and Walker hopes City, whose attacking philosophy he feels suits the straight knockout format of the final eight tournament, can catch our opponents cold.
“Lyon have not really played much football so hopefully we can use that to our advantage but they have got good players,” added the 30-year-old.
“I think it [knocking out Juventus] speaks volumes. This year they don’t have the players that they had when we played against them [in 2018] but, again, they have just knocked Juventus out and you need to be a very good team, very disciplined to beat Juventus over two legs.
“It is going to be a difficult game but I feel it can swing in our way that it is over just the one leg and we can really attack the game and play every game like a final.
“We feel that our team, and the way that we play and our philosophy, is going to stand us in good stead to get us to where we want to be in the tournament, which is the final.”
