Kyle Walker has lifted the lid on one of Manchester City’s secrets to Premier League dominance under Pep Guardiola — revealing that the Spanish manager borrowed a crucial philosophy from Jose Mourinho.
The England international, who left City in the summer after eight trophy-laden years, says Guardiola’s focus on defensive stability was inspired by Mourinho’s early Premier League blueprint — one that made Chelsea almost impossible to beat in the mid-2000s.
Guardiola arrived at Manchester City in 2016, armed with a reputation as the great purist of modern football. His teams at Barcelona and Bayern Munich had already redefined the sport with their possession-heavy, high-pressing style.
Yet, Walker believes the Spaniard’s time in England showed a pragmatic streak that often goes unnoticed.
Since Guardiola’s arrival, City have collected six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups, and the club’s first-ever Champions League crown in 2023 — achievements that have placed him among the greatest managers in English football history.
But behind the glittering football and attacking artistry, Walker says Guardiola’s sides have always relied on a foundation built in the image of Mourinho’s Chelsea.
Speaking to the Premier League’s official YouTube channel, Walker reflected on how Guardiola instilled the value of clean sheets into his Manchester City teams — a philosophy directly inspired by Mourinho’s early years at Stamford Bridge.
“As a foundation to ever win any Premier League [title], I think Chelsea probably set the record with the most clean sheets, back when [Jose] Mourinho was doing it,” Walker said. “As players, we always kind of looked at that.
“We thought ‘okay, to build a solid foundation to go and win the Premier League, you need a good defence.’
“And we pride ourselves off that. It didn’t matter who played or started as the manager liked to rotate his team around a lot.
“We always prided ourselves on the defensive unit, that we’re going to keep clean sheets, and that we know we had attacking people in the team that will go and score you goals.”
That emphasis on defensive unity became one of Guardiola’s underrated traits at City. While his tactical innovations — from inverted full-backs to fluid midfield rotations — have earned him worldwide admiration, Walker believes it was the team’s ability to shut out opponents that allowed them to dominate domestically.
Indeed, Mourinho’s Chelsea side from the 2004–05 season remains the gold standard for defensive excellence in the Premier League era.
The Blues conceded just 15 goals in 38 matches, losing only once — ironically, to Manchester City — and finishing with a staggering 25 clean sheets.
Goalkeeper Petr Čech went on a run of 10 consecutive matches without conceding between December and March, as Chelsea stormed to the title with a ruthless efficiency rarely seen in English football.
According to Walker’s comment, Manchester City’s secrets to Premier League dominance under Pep Guardiola is not only about their attacking prowess but also due to their impressive defensive records.
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Even with Guardiola’s commitment to expressive, attacking play, his most successful City teams — from the centurions of 2017–18 to the treble winners of 2022–23 — were built on the same defensive discipline Mourinho’s Chelsea mastered two decades ago.
During his eight seasons at the Etihad, Walker became one of Guardiola’s most trusted players, combining blistering pace with tactical intelligence.
His role evolved as Guardiola’s ideas about defending shifted — sometimes as a traditional full-back, at other times as an auxiliary centre-half stepping into midfield.
Though celebrated primarily for his attacking contributions, Walker’s defensive consistency and adaptability were vital to City’s dominance. His willingness to sacrifice personal glory for collective stability reflected Guardiola’s core message: beautiful football must begin with structure.
The 35-year-old right-back, now plying his trade at Burnley, says those lessons from City’s dressing room were rooted in respect for the past — particularly the defensive organisation Mourinho brought to English football in the mid-2000s.
