Manchester City fans are jubilant following the fantastic 3-0 win over title rivals Chelsea, and the performances have undoubtedly been top class. There has been one player, however, who has stood out for both the right and wrong reasons.
Yaya Toure has been a player whose performances vary from match to match. Sometimes he is a raging beast bursting through the midfield, but sometimes he looks like he doesn’t want to play football at all. And just two matches into the new season, we have already seen these two sides to Yaya Toure.
Toure has always been a crucial player for Manchester City; playing a vital role in the League wins in 2012 and 2014 along with scoring the winner in the FA Cup Final in May 2011 and sparking the comeback against Sunderland in the League Cup Final in March 2014. This gave him positive praise; becoming one of the best midfielders in world football. Along with this however there has been a change in his personality where he believes he is the centre of attention resulting in him not being fully committed every week.
When Toure arrived at Manchester City from Barcelona in the summer of 2010 he added a touch of the class to the team along with stating that City were now serious contenders for silverware in English football. Before we began to win silverware his performances were something which City fans had never seen before. Toure was someone who was charging up and down the pitch, putting a shift in at the back along with scoring goals. It was only a matter of time until he played a significant part in City’s quest for silverware.
That moment came in May 2011 where he scored the winning goal against Stoke in the FA Cup Final. Toure’s name became a part of City history. The following season when City won their first Premier League title for over forty years, Toure was again a crucial component in Mancini’s side and it was evident that he was the main player with his absence in January and February 2012 due to the African Cup of Nations. City lacked the cutting edge, however the team were still able to get crucial victories. Ever since the league win in May 2012 however, Toure’s attitude towards playing football has changed.
His inconsistency began to show mid way through 2012/13 season. At first Toure was a player who was still storming up the pitch and scoring vital goals. However, in matches against the smaller teams Toure looked as if he did not want to play, walking round the pitch, not making any tackles along with poor passing led to criticisms from both the media and City fans. This drop in performance was partly due to burnout as Toure had effectively been playing football for almost a full year with a demanding pre season tour in Europe, many thought that this was a blip.
This blip looked to have disappeared in Pellegrini’s first season in charge as Toure looked like he was back to his old self. Scoring goals and given more attacking freedom. This was due to the signing of Fernandinho who as a more defensive player allowed Toure to go into a more attacking role and this position change was clearly paying off. Toure was able to provide goals and opportunities for the strikers which led to City claiming the title in 2013/14 season. Plus, City fans will never forget the wonder goal Toure scored against Sunderland in the League Cup Final that season. Most City fans thought he was back to his best, but again the enthusiasm dropped during 2014/15 season. There were clear signs of frustration from Toure constantly complaining at officials and fellow City players when the matches were not going his way and this became something which frustrated City fans. Consequently, this lead to some calls for Toure to leave the club.
This season seems to be a ‘make or break’ situation for Toure. With no major international tournaments to take part in, Toure has been able to experience a full pre-season programme and it is clear that Pellegrini sees Toure as a major component choosing Toure to feature in the majority of the pre-season matches. The opening match of City’s 2015/16 campaign against West Brom was the perfect way for Toure to start his season, scoring one definite goal and commanding the midfield it seemed again Toure was back to his best. Despite not playing badly against Chelsea, there were signs of that Toure blip again. During crucial passages of play he did not look eager to receive the ball along with his trademark walk. The Ivorian also seemed a bit more lightweight, as in some instances he was easily pushed off the ball and after going to ground he would begin to roll around on the floor and start directing criticism towards the referee. Hopefully, this was just another blip and Toure can cement his place as one of the best players at City and in the Premier League.
The powerful midfielder’s age of 32 is one which should not hinder his ability and he is still a great player. If he wants to become a Premier League legend, however, his performances will have to be more consistent and need to be fully committed in what should hopefully be a successful season for Manchester City.
