Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was on the receiving end of some scathing criticism after his poor display against Manchester United on Sunday, as reported by Michael Gadd in the Mail. 

City lost the game at Old Trafford 4-2 and afterwards Gary Neville, the former United and England right-back, laid into Toure on Sky Sports in his role as a pundit.

Neville predicted big changes in the City squad this summer after a season of regression on the pitch and singled out Toure as one of the “weeds in the garden” that needs removing. He feels the Ivorian’s attacking qualities are no longer sharper enough to justify what he sees as defensive deficiencies.

He said:

There is definitely going to be change at Manchester City, whether it’s players, the manager, people above. Certainly some players.

There are some weeds in the garden and you’ve got to get them out of the changing room pretty quick. You cannot carry passengers.

He [Toure] does that much for the team in an attacking sense you live with maybe the consequences of that defensively.

But when the balance tips to a point when going forward isn’t quite as effective as it once was, you’ve got to do something different because the defensive side is poor.

If I was a player in that dressing room looking at him in central midfield thinking you’re not chasing back, you’re not running around, you’re not sprinting for the ball. There might be a physical problem that he cannot do it, let alone if he doesn’t want to do it.

When a player like Toure, who has been at the centre of City’s modern-day success, is criticized so heavily, it sends reverberations around the football world.

For so long the midfielder has produced moments of magic that have been the difference for City in some of their biggest games, conjuring goals in the club’s most desperate moments.

Toure, though, must accept that his display in the Manchester derby was unacceptable.

Perhaps a system reshuffle is needed to accommodate Toure. If Fernando had played alongside Fernandinho on Sunday, it would have provided City with a more solid defensive base, with Toure free to go forward, unburdened of the responsibility to track back.

It surely makes sense. Toure remains a potent attacking weapon. He’s managed 10 goals in what has, by his standards, been a somewhat patchy campaign, and his meticulous passing is still key to City’s game.

Playing him higher up the pitch, closer to the opposition 18-yard box, could be the alteration that’s needed to keep the side balanced.

There are those who believe it is perhaps time to move Toure on. At 31, he’s probably not going to improve, with last season, where he scored over 20 goals in all competitions, likely to be his finest year as a professional.

Inter Milan are thought to be interested and, according to Aaron Flanagan at the Mirror, could table a bid this summer. If the offer is a sizeable one, surely City would consider it and use the money to find a younger replacement.

If they decide to keep him, which would be understandable given his ability, an alteration in his game is needed, with a freer, more attacking role in the side a necessity.

He looks tired, too. He’s played 79 games for City in the past two seasons, as well as competing at the World Cup in Brazil and the AFCON tournament in Equatorial Guinea. It’s a lot of football for a 31-year-old in such a high-energy expenditure position.

Should he remain at the Etihad, a summer of proper rest is required.

 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2428903-manchester-city-must-find-a-new-role-for-yaya-toure-after-derby-disaster
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