In Yaya Toure, Mancini has the whole package, and Toure isn’t afraid to show it week in, week out. Suffering a last-gasp 3-2 defeat last night to Real Madrid will hurt the team, but Toure was one of the star performers last night. He wasn’t scared to get forward nor was he scared to put a foot in. More importantly, his presence and awareness on the pitch is a huge morale boost for his team-mates. It is little surprise that he got an assist for his troubles last night, as well as a few shots on goal.
Within minutes of the kick-off, Toure had social networking sites buzzing. Toure’s name was trending on Twitter, with multiple users praising his physical attributes and flair. Several tweets even asked if the military were missing their tanks, because there was one on the pitch in last night’s game. Many others commented on him as ‘beastly’.
An experienced head, Toure arrived from Barcelona in 2010 and settled into Manchester City effortlessly, tirelessly running box-to-box in his new role at City. His manager instantly put his faith in him to perform, so much so that it is now regarded a huge blow if Yaya Toure doesn’t make the first team.
Not primarily known for his scoring prowess, Toure seems to find the back of the net on big occasions, including the FA cup Semi-final and Final in 2011. This season sees him in a more advanced role, and already he has scored two goals in the Premier League against QPR and Liverpool. He almost got his first Champions League goal last night, too. There is little question, then, why he is the third most selected Fantasy Football player, being selected as the second man of the match in his first three games.
Manchester City went to the Santiago Bernabeu last night full of optimism, and almost got the result they craved. Joe Hart was on form to keep the La Liga Champions at bay in the first half, before two second half goals from Edin Dzeko and Alexander Kolorov twice gave City the lead. Both times they were quickly pegged back, as Real Madrid drew level with strikes from Marcelo and Karim Benzema, before a 90th minute winner from Cristiano Ronaldo ensured the Catalan side secured all three points.
Although City will travel home disappointed, they have every right to be proud. The first team to score two goals or more at Madrid’s home ground, they had the home side running ragged at times, and they must take positives from this game. They are capable of turning results like these around, and it won’t be long until they get their first Champions League points this season. With Yaya Toure ever-present, this won’t be long at all.
How much of a difference do you think Yaya Toure makes to the Manchester City team?
image: © marc_tacoma
James Hartnett
@JamesHartnett_more stories from James Hartnett
A recent journalism graduate, James is a firm believer in providing unique perspectives on sports news. An experienced sports blogger, freelancer and sub-editor, he specialises in football news and in-depth analysis. A lifelong Spurs fan, he can’t wait for their potential to be unlocked next season.
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