During the utmost heights of Yaya Toure’s footballing supremacy, countless coaches have been left dreaming that they had a ‘Yaya’ in their team. However, stemming back from his past relationships with Wenger, Bölöni and Guardiola we see that Toure isn’t exactly the luxury he’s expected to be, it wasn’t until his transfer to City in 2010 that he surfaced as Africa’s outstanding player of the past five years. A reunion with the philosophical Pep Guardiola is on the cards, but whether it will be or not has raised much other speculation and this article is simply preparation for his rumoured departure; forget about his annoyances and give the man a break, memories of the Ivorian should be jubilant, be grateful for his impact on our club’s history.
With all his desired attributes comes his flaws, Yaya has flaws, everyone does; but the pros heavily outweigh the cons in his case. Despite being one of the most talked about City players this season, all the moans and groans I’ve heard are mostly the same complaints of his work-rate and midfield energy, so, brushing aside this obvious criticism, please take into consideration that the man turns 33 this month: I can count more fingers on one hand than I can count 33-year-old midfielders who run for 90 minutes week-in-week-out. Think about some of the Premier League’s midfield greats and what they were doing at 33; Gerrard only ever ran to take a penalty when he was basically playing centre-back under Rodgers two years back, Patrick Vieira was earning his final pocket at City before retiring at 33 and Roy Keane was mid injury crisis when he left United at that age before retiring a year later. Comparing those stories with Yaya’s current situation and the big Ivorian doesn’t look too bad now, does he?
Yaya Toure has been one of the most complete midfielders to ever grace the Premier League: Right-foot or left-foot, Toure can pass with almost perfection. Strong and energetic, his deceivingly tricky feet let him dribble past any defender. Dead-ball or during play, Yaya has scored reams of match-winning and important goals. I can honestly continue for much longer but then this just turns into a massive list, the main two words of this high praise are ‘has’ and ‘been’. Toure’s career is on the decline and slowly his reputation is veering into a ‘has-been’, a label that unfortunately, at this rate, he will be undeservedly remembered as.
The conflicting views on Yaya Toure at this current moment make him nearly impossible to manage, Pellegrini told a press conference, “When Yaya plays, you always ask me why I don’t take him out and when Yaya doesn’t play, you miss Yaya!”. Although told in a jokey manner, he makes a valid point. There’s a very high chance that, if not this year then next, that City will find a replacement for Toure, and there are candidates out there but no player can offer City what Yaya has done. Ultimately, during his final year(s) at City you shouldn’t take for granted the special player we have – appreciate the enigma.
