Man City are ready to absorb Kyle Walker’s worst result in the Champions League final.

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has had back problems this week, but the Blues are playing against Inter Milan without him.

Like those ominous gray clouds on a sunny day, Kyle Walker’s possible injury is the only factor that could hamper Manchester City’s preparations for the Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola has the increasingly rare pleasure of having a full-strength side to choose from against FA Cup winners Manchester United on Saturday, but days like these tend to be rare. Hardly a week goes by without a member of City’s squad suffering a bruise, an accident or, in the case of Phil Foden, an exploding cecum.

Nathan Ake, Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Diaz and Kevin De Bruyne all struggled with fatigue and pain at the peak of their season, but the impact of the toughest season has been felt the most. It was Walker who received The defender sent shivers down many people’s spines when he skipped Tuesday’s training session ahead of Saturday’s final against Inter.

“He had injured his back,” said Guardiola. “Yesterday he wasn’t feeling well. Today he’s a little bit better. We didn’t want to miss any chances and we’ll see that in the next few days.”

Walker on the pitch Instead of standing up, he took over the media job. The defender himself considered his situation much more relaxed. “I’m fine, I’m just getting older,” he told Sky Sports News.

“You’ve been playing so much time the last few weeks, the manager said, ‘Just stay indoors and come on Saturday, you’ll be fine.’

“I’m fine. I fought through the few minutes I played while everyone else was injured. I’m not going to miss the Champions League final.”

Walker’s words are reassuring now that the 33-year-old is back in the starting line-up and once again an integral part of the team. At some point in April, it was hard to imagine Walker starting more games this season. Guardiola appears to have ignored the first player on his team list and settled on the back four.

He didn’t even make an appearance against Bayern Munich, but he was supposed to face some of the game’s fastest wingers in Kinglucy Korman, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane. But opportunities often arise from the misfortunes of others.

A hamstring problem affected Ake and he was out of action. Walker returned to the squad and started in eight of his last nine league games, as well as against Real Madrid, handling superstar Vinicius Jr. Even more impressive is how smoothly Walker adapted to his new role.

He used to play in the back three for the England national team, but it’s a lot easier than Guardiola because he always has to switch from the right flank to the central position to cover John Stones and come back on his return. was. Losing him in the final would obviously be a huge blow.

But there won’t be as many earthquakes as before. Guardiola has been so dependent on quality full-backs in his first six seasons as manager that he spent £50m on Walker and £80m on full-backs in a single summer. A few years later, Joao Cancelo received £60million.

Predatory attacking full-backs have been very important for a long time, but not anymore. City ditched Cancelo in January without a second thought and played most of 2023 with four central defenders.

In Walker’s absence, Akanji and Ake make his absence almost imperceptible. This was unimaginable half a year ago. Erling Haaland deservedly won the Player of the Summer award, but Akanji won as well.

City spent just £15m on a disgraced defender at Borussia Dortmund, but little was known about it as the defenders didn’t even try to keep him. Despite this, he was always reliable and determined throughout the season. He pushed Aymeric Laporte down and pushed Walker out of right-back. He excels in both positions and can also be used as a left-back if needed.

Akanji was an unexpected star all season long, and thanks to him, what was once a stroke of the hammer for Walker’s loss is lessened. City are ready to handle even the worst in Istanbul.