These are the pressure games everyone wants to play in -WALKER

AS City took to the pitch for a season-defining match against Tottenham, Kyle Walker picked out a patch to settle himself.

- SIMON BAJKOWSKI

With the nerves jangling and a lack of sleep not helping, the defender did what he has done in so many matches throughout his career - 299 and counting for City and went through his pre-match routine to compose himself and focus his mind on what lay ahead.

City rode their luck and nearly saw their hopes crushed in the final minutes of the game, but all the experience and work paid off to leave them one game away from making history.

Almost a year on from suffering the heartbreak of being left out of the Champions League final and then almost securing a move to Bayern Munich, Walker can expect to be front and centre of City's efforts on the final day. If it was a surprise when he opted to stay at the Etihad, it was an even bigger one when he was handed a three-year deal and an even bigger one when he was made captain.

He was not necessarily the popular choice with fans, and also drew criticism in the winter for the level of his performances, but he has undeniably left his stamp on the team and the captaincy this season.

And while he has generated frontpage headlines for his extramarital affair, the defender has been completely devoted towards making sure that he and his team-mates have been in the best possible condition to help the team.

"All I want is the best for the club and all I want is the best for the bunch of lads in there," he said after Tuesday's win. "A lot of the time we get the result we want and they work their socks off.

"People see the Instagram and whatever but nobody sees the hard graft that these lads dedicate themselves to live every day when we're competing in all the competitions, travelling here, there and everywhere to play in the competitions that we've been fortunate to win. It's hard work.