Kyle Walker insists Premier League is ‘our trophy to lose’ before a ball is kicked

Manchester City start their quest for an unprecedented fifth Premier League title in a row when they travel to Chelsea on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s side became the first club in the history of the English top-flight to win four titles in a row, but Kyle Walker believes it is already theirs “to lose”, despite finishing just two points above Arsenal last season.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an ego, but we’ve done this four times in a row – this is our trophy to lose,” Walker told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.

“I can assure you, when you’re looking down at your arm and you’ve got that gold badge that no-one else has got it’s a good feeling. Long may it continue.”

Last season Manchester City won the league, but it was far from a repeat of their dominant treble-winning campaign the year before, and they only sealed the championship in the final match.

Guardiola’s side has centred around the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Walker, but with Bernardo Silva and Ederson potentially leaving the club, and with the other two firmly in their 30s, the title is not a given.

A side with a number of younger players managed to beat Manchester United in the Community Shield, albeit on penalties, and new signing Savinho looked promising.

Walker admitted the club want “instant success- and that’s what we have to deliver.

“I think if you didn’t have that drive, he (Guardiola) wouldn’t have you at the club. It’s a big part of his DNA, winning.

“Look at the teams he’s gone and managed, the players he’s worked with. He’s not shy that if you’re not pulling your weight, he’s not scared to tell you.”