We look back on the Ivorian’s stellar season for the Citizens and consider the ramifications for the Ivory Coast in Brazil
Some players are hard to define.
For many, this is due to a lack of ambition and/or identity; this accusation may be levelled at a player like Tom Cleverley, whose best qualities are frustratingly unclear. A few, however, simply defy classification, blurring all the lines in their streaking brilliance. Of this lot, there is no better example than Yaya Toure.
Looking at his remarkable scoring stats in the just ended season, it is easy to forget that his greatest achievement as a footballer came playing as a centre-back for Barcelona. His composure and energy were key in containing the menace of Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League final of 2009.
Rome was the setting, and. like a gladiator, Toure battled away all night, providing a solid platform for his more technical team mates to blossom.
He would only last one more season at Camp Nou. Having seen his place at the base of midfield usurped by local lad Sergio Busquets, whose calmer, more understated style fit into Pep Guardiola’s philosophy, he moved to Manchester City for about £24 million (€29.4m).
That was five years ago. In that time, he has gone from a hulking midfield anchor to an attacking force of nature. Initially, former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini used Yaya as an aggressive runner high up the pitch when the team’s creative efforts proved inadequate. He took to the brief like a duck to water, and seemed to relish the freedom from defensive responsibility. However, with the signing of Fernandinho, and Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to allow Gareth Barry leave on loan to Everton, it was expected that Toure would revert to operating in a more defensive capacity, seeing as the Brazilian is actually a box-to-box midfielder.
The popular perception could not have been more wrong.
Few players can dominate the midfield like Yaya
It is Fernandinho who has had to adapt his game to a defensive role, curbing his attacking tendencies for Yaya to roam wild and free. The Ivoirian’s 20 goals this season represent the second-highest scoring season for a central midfielder in the Premier League’s history, only behind Frank Lampard’s 22 in 2009/10. He has become City’s most important player: top scorer in a team that powered its way to the Premier League title, plundering 102 goals.
Not many players have the ability to utterly dominate and decide a game quite like Toure. His penchant for scoring in cup finals may seem a quirk, but is an indication of his significance to the Eastlands club. When the 2011 FA Cup final was getting tense, it was Yaya who hammered home a loose ball in the penalty box to settle frayed nerves, and win the tie against Stoke City. With Sunderland ahead, it was Toure’s insouciant sidefoot into the top corner from 30 yards that brought Manchester City back from the dead in the 2014 League Cup final.
When the going gets tough, the man from Bouake reaches out and takes the game by the scruff of the neck.
The most striking thing about Toure is how he seems to belie himself.
While he has bullish strength and uses it to good effect, he has resisted the temptation to make size his sole weapon. It is indicative of his intelligence that he realises the limitations of a game based purely on physical prowess, and has adapted devastatingly.
He is deceptively quick over the first ten yards, especially proficient at bursting forward from deep positions, and has become a truly accomplished passer of the ball, evidenced by his 90% pass accuracy and nine assists over the course of this season.
His technique is also superb, and he has developed a very unique free-kick trajectory with a lot of top-spin on the ball, which makes it practically impossible for the goalkeeper to get to once it clears the defensive wall. It is a sight as incongruous as a bulldozer driver playing the violin during his lunch break!
Yaya has perfected an art we expect from smaller, more serene players.
Now 31, there is absolutely no doubt that he is at his absolute peak.
Having brought success in the form of a second Premier League triumph in three seasons to City, he must now aim to deliver for the Ivorian national team this summer.
The Ivorians have a new figurehead
Quite how the Elephants have failed to achieve success on the international stage is hard to fathom. A good number of their ‘Golden Generation’ are active still, but the World Cup in Brazil this June will surely be their last chance to leave a mark.
While it is not inconceivable that Yaya could still be active when Russia welcomes the world in 2018 (Drogba is 36, after all), the time has to be now. Expect him to complete a midfield of Cheick Tiote and Basel’s Serey Die, playing as the most advanced of the trio. A group of Colombia, Japan and Greece represents a potential banana skin, but this is where the Elephants must bring all the experience of the last two World Cups to bear.
In 2006 and 2010, they had the misfortune of drawing the toughest group on both occasions, exiting with creditable outings. This time, fate has been kinder, but they will do well to beware of the Japanese, who are set to shock the world
The Ivorian national side have long suffered from an undue reliance on captain Didier Drogba, often playing far too directly and bypassing the midfield zone. There is little danger of that repeating itself though; this time it will be the trademark bursts of Yaya Toure they look to. If he brings his Manchester City form to Brazil, he and his national team mates may finally be able to do justice to their tremendous talent. As he has shown this season, he will not shrink from the challenge.
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