Kyle Walker challenges Man City squad to kill Premier League title race

Kyle Walker has challenged his Manchester City teammates to kill off the Premier League title race early this season.

Defending champions City have won five of the last six titles and are favourites to win an unprecedented fourth in a row, but have not often led from the front. Arsenal spent the majority of last year on top of the table, with the Blues coming from behind to lift the trophy in three of their past four victories.

City consciously do not overload their players at the beginning of the season with the aim of maintaining their form through a long campaign to the latter rounds of knockout competitions. They pulled it off in spectacular fashion last season, becoming just the second English team in history to win the Treble as they won the club's first ever Champions League.

That run saw them play for two weeks after the majority of their rivals had finished for summer though, and Erling Haaland has already admitted it has affected their performances. Despite their struggles on the pitch, the Blues have still had enough to win each of their first four Premier League games and enter the September international break as the only side with a 100 per cent record.

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Walker, captaining the side for the early part of the campaign ahead of the official vote, challenged the players at the beginning of the season to cast aside their reputation for coming from behind and instead channel the 2017/18 Centurions. That team won 19 of their first 20 games and drew the other to effectively win the title before the New Year, eventually claiming the title in April 2018.

"I think it was important to get off to a good start. We are always playing catch up," said