Spotlight: Who is Yaya Toure?

As we approach the end of the English Premier League season, FirstTouch takes time to look back and appreciate one of the most influential players in the league. Yaya Toure, an all-round midfielder from Cote d’Ivoire, played for Barcelona and Manchester City in the best years of his career. The 33-year old is approaching the end of his time at the Etihad with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Let’s look at what Yaya Toure has been through during his stay at the above-mentioned clubs in Europe.   

First off, let’s focus on his time at Barcelona. Yaya Toure joined Barcelona from Monaco in 2007 for £6.7m after being an influential midfielder for the French side where he rescued them from relegation. However, Toure had problems with the previous manager of the club, Laszlo Boloni, who was not playing him in his midfield most preferred position. When he joined Barcelona, he enjoyed the first season under Rijkaard where he made a total of 40 appearances which managed two goals. Yaya Toure was still in the shadow of big brother Kolo who was making a name for himself at Arsenal as a rock solid defender in the EPL. Guardiola took over the reins just a year later, and he preferred Busquets to Yaya Toure as the defensive midfielder for Barcelona in 2008. The promise of first-team football in his preferred position at Barcelona was not going to be possible. Guardiola used the player as a center-back in the UEFA Champions League final in 2009 when the team suffered from injuries. He was later allowed to move to the club of his dream in 2010.

Manchester City approached Toure and he, initially thought that he would be joining Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It was his agent who clarified that he was joining the team who wears blue and he was excited by the challenge of joining a club that was in the shadow of their local rivals. Manchester City paid £24.6 million for the services of a player who was pretty much a reserve player and Toure was going to be receiving £139,000 a week. The journey of the African player to become a legend at the Etihad Stadium was set on course.

2012 was a year of history for the cash-rich Manchester club. It is the year that the club beat Manchester United to the title on goal difference. Sergio Aguero scored the winner for Manchester City in stoppage time of the last game in the 2011/12 season. Yaya Toure was an integral part of the club’s midfield. This earned him much respect in the English Premier League and comparisons with some of the greatest midfielders in the league like Keane, Vieira, etc. was just a moment away. Toure came out and thanked his teammates for the title and paid tribute to his manager for trusting in him and playing him in a position that he found difficult to maintain in the previous clubs he represented.

In addition to that, Toure evolved to become a ruthless attacker who scored goals that are still admired today. In the 2013/14 season, Yaya Toure assumed a more attacking role in Manchester City and even though he was primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder. This season, Yaya Toure managed to score 20 goals in the English Premier League which was unspoken off considering that he came from deep to set himself up and his contribution won his club the English Premier League title again as well as the FA Cup. At this moment, Yaya Toure had become the more popular player in his family and had stepped out of the shadow of the former Arsenal player.

His career might sound smooth when reading this piece, but Toure has had his fair share of controversy during his time at City. The player once threatened to leave the club because they had forgotten to show him love on his 31st birthday. His agent, Dimitry Seluk, is the one that confirmed the story that the player felt disrespected and the club was put under pressure. Some saw this incident as a stunt by the pair to pressurize the club to improve the terms of the contract, and the club fell for it. His contract saw him being the highest paid player in English football at $334,000 a week. All this was soon going to fade away with the player approaching the ‘old age’ years.

The manager who pushed him out of the club at Barcelona and laughed at Toure for joining a ‘s**t’ team eventually found his way to Toure’s home. Pep Guardiola has announced the new boss at Manchester City in 2016, and the Ivorian player probably knew that he was doomed. It is no secret that the pair had a rocky relationship because of the way the manager treated Toure at Barcelona and eventually forced him to move to the Citizens. This time, Guardiola took over a club where Toure was already a legend and was the focal point of the team before Aguero. The Spaniard soon changed that and eventually left Yaya out of the first team after his manager after Toure’s agent, Dimitry Seluk, called out Guardiola on his hypocrisy in coming to England after making fun of the club in 2010. This did not sit down well with Guardiola, and he punished the player because of his agent’s words. The fans were heartbroken by this situation but the relationship was mended, and Yaya was restored to the first team early last year. He played enough to earn another year in an extension.

This season seems like it will be his last at Manchester City and he has been ousted again for the third time in his career by the same manager. Guardiola brought replacements for the player because he does not believe in his abilities and it is about time that the player takes the next step in his career. Toure played in the 4-1 win against West Ham today, and he could only manage a second-half appearance even when the team has been confirmed champions of the Premier League this season. It is evident that Guardiola never like him and the African player will probably leave in the summer. It has been quite a journey for the Ivorian midfielder who won the La Liga (twice), Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup (twice), and the English Premier League on three occasions. He has undoubtedly subscribed his name in the Hall of Fame of not just English football, but on the European scene and he will be missed if he decides to call his time at the end of the season.

Giroud and Morata goals send Chelsea to the final of the FA Cup

Antonio Conte’s men are on a mission to salvage their season after failing to defend the English Premier League title which they won comfortably last season. They were looking to get one over the Saints and book a place in the final with Manchester United. Southampton also went into the game with an added motivation to defeat Chelsea who defeated them 2-3 at home on the 14th of April. The wounds were still fresh after letting a 2-0 advantage turn into a loss.

Willian set him himself up and fired a shot on the crossbar while Hazard had a couple of chances blocked before Olivier Giroud, who was preferred to Morata in the lineup, missed a couple of volleys in the first half. However, this did not stop him from turning up with a fantastic goal just a minute into the second half. Those that know Giroud from his days at Arsenal are aware of the fact that the forward might not be a 30 goal-a-season striker but he has a neck for memorable goals. Giroud received a pass from Eden Hazard before going for a Messi-like dribble as he wiggled past four defenders and beat the goalkeeper before finishing with his weak foot into the net. Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t. There is a reason why the striker is always called up to the French national team even when he is not in the best of form because he delivers when everyone least expects him to.

Southampton created a couple of chances themselves, and Shane Long found himself in acres of space with only the goalkeeper to beat but could not finish past the keeper. He tried to round the keeper who had read his thoughts and ended up over kicking the ball out for a goal kick. Southampton we denied a penalty on the 67th minute when Austin headed the ball onto Giroud’s hand, but the referee waved play on. Redmond had a rocket shot from outside the box miraculously saved by Caballero. Morata came from the bench to score the second of the night from an Azpilicueta cross. That was it, and Southampton were knocked out of the semifinals. Chelsea will then be facing Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in the final of the FA Cup. Who do you think will win?

Manchester United through to the final after beating Tottenham 2-1

Manchester United have done it again and are on the right path to prove that they are becoming a competitive team in England. The club have been struggling since Alex Ferguson left but Jose Mourinho has achieved instant success after taking over from Louis Van Gaal. The Portuguese manager won what he calls a treble in his first season i.e. FA Community Shield, Carabao Cup and the UEFA Europa League which gave them qualification to the UEFA Champions League. This season, he tried to catch up with the cash rich City side who invested a lot but could not push for a title challenge as everyone anticipated. The club also crashed out of the Carabao Cup this season before being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Sevilla in the quarterfinals. Mourinho’s man now only had their eyes on the FA Cup for a last chance to salvage some silverware to the club. They had enough to defeat their opponents today to make it to the final of the tournament but it was not easy.

Dele Alli opened the scoring for Tottenham on the 11th minute from a Christian Eriksen cross and it looked like it was going to be a defeat for the Red Devils but they had other thoughts. The winter signing scored the equalizer for United to make it 1-1 on 24 minutes after Paul Pogba outmuscled Dembele on the left before delivering a perfect cross for the Chilean forward to score. Jese Lingard wasted an opportunity to give United the lead three minutes later when he blazed over the goal from a cross by Lukaku only 3 minutes after Sanchez had scored. Dier also had an opportunity when he shot from distance and saw his effort hit the post. Lukaku then combined with Sanchez in a counter attack that saw the Spanish midfielder, Ander Herrera scoring the winning goal. This is such a disappointment for the Tottenham team who have been improving year on year. They really need to start winning trophies soon if they are to keep their top talent because they have come short on so many occasions. Kudos Mourinho and his team. On to the next one now.

Chelsea win 2-1 in extra time

Antonio Conte proves he has still got it as his team fought hard for him against Leicester City in a match which they won 2-1 in extra time. First, it was Alvaro Morata who was out to prove his critics wrong who have been at his back for not living up to expectations. Some believe that he does not deserve to start for Chelsea ahead of Giroud because he is out of confidence. Nonetheless, it did not prevent him from scoring the opener in the 42nd minute. There was nothing much in the match after the break before Vardy deservedly evened the scores in the 76th minute. 90 minutes passed and still, there was no winner. The match had to go to extra time where N’golo, in an unfamiliar position to the right, whipped a beautiful cross and it was headed home by the Spanish Pedro of all people on 105 minutes. That was it for the night as both teams tried to score more with nothing materializing. Chelsea are up against Southampton next in the semis whom are now under the coach Mark Hughes who won 2-1 against Wigan in his first game in charge. Game on!

Manchester United win 2-0 against Brighton

Criticism for the Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku has died down in recent weeks as the player has rediscovered his goalscoring touch and he contributed once again to Manchester United’s win on Saturday. It had been a quiet night for the team who were failing to break the Premier League side’s defense before Nemanja Matic found Lukaku with an inch perfect cross for the striker to nod home just before the break. That made it his 25th goal in his debut season at Manchester United. Mourinho’s men had enough time to add another one 7 minutes before time as Ashley Young’s freekick found Matic at the back post and the midfielder made no mistake as he scored the second to secure a 2-0 win against newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup. Next up is the semifinals and the boys have to be at their best if they are to have a chance against Tottenham Hotspur.