Curbing Hazard is my main job, says Walker

Man City full-back Kyle Walker has indicated that his main role in his club’s Premier League clash with Chelsea this evening will be to stop Eden Hazard.

Hazard was in sublime form for Chelsea midweek as they came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League and Walker knows a huge challenge awaits him at Stamford Bridge.

"When you come up against that type of player, you have to be A1 defensively," Walker told The Times. "That’s my main job, as a defender. If I can get forward, that’s a bonus in these games. If I can try to stop him, then hopefully we’ve got the attacking power to go on and get a result.

"If we can go and get the win, especially at Stamford Bridge, it would send out a good message, but even if we do, it’s still early. There’s still a lot of football to be played. I was looking at this time last year and City were flying — and then all of a sudden it didn’t go to plan. Hopefully it’s different this year."

Walker left Tottenham for Man City over the summer in a deal worth £53m and has made it quite clear he made the move in order to play at the very top level and win trophies in that echelon.

 "Not just the league," he says. "I want to win the FA Cup. I want to win the League Cup. I want to win the Champions League. I don’t want to look back on my career and think, ‘I’ve got a nice house, I’ve got this, that and the other, but no trophies in my cabinet.’ At the moment, every trophy I’ve got in my cabinet is one that I’ve won myself (including the Young Player of the Year award in 2012).

"It’s good to win a personal award, but it’s a team game,” he adds. “I’m not playing tennis or snooker. I want to win medals as a team. I’ve been in finals and not really got over the line.

"If I think of where I grew up, what I’ve had to come through to get where I am, I think I’ve achieved quite a lot, yeah, but it’s a team game. You need to win trophies as a team. That’s what I’m here to do." 

Manchester City's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 30 September is live on BT Sport 1 on the eir Sport pack [kick off 5.30pm].

Image: Getty/Laurence Griffiths.

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