Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher claims that Manchester City star Yaya Toure will be judged on his defensive performances rather than his attacking forays this season, Sky Sports reports.
City made easy of their season-opening fixture on Monday night, brushing aside West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Hawthorns with Toure grabbing the first two goals.
His first strike took a lucky deflection off both David Silva and Craig Dawson’s legs, but his second was an immaculate side-footed finish right into the top corner.
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However, Kop icon Carragher claims that if the Citizens want to overcome champions Chelsea to the Premier League crown this season, the Ivory Coast international will need to perform his defensive duties.
He said: “That criticism could still come again, because it’s not in games like this. It’s games where he’s got to do a defensive job.”
“The system looks like Sterling on the left, Silva off the front and Yaya Toure will play central midfield.
“The power and pace he shows going forward, he doesn’t show it going back. I’ve said it time and time again, he’s like a sprinter going forward, and a marathon runner coming back. He doesn’t want to come back.
“And that’ll be the problem for him at the weekend. In those big games can he be trusted to play in the two?
“He was fantastic tonight, but over the course of the season in those big games, Champions League games, that’s where the criticism will come from. Not in terms of going forward, because he’s still as good as anyone.”
Carragher went on to admit that Toure is one of the best central midfielders in Premier League history, and that he could be the difference between winning the title or another trophy-less campaign for the Sky Blues.
He continued: “Have we ever seen anyone better in Premier League history, a central midfield player, dominating, sprinting forward from that central midfield with power, coming on to things, but also that finishing.
“For the criticism he got last year, he was still among the highest-scoring midfield players. But because of the year before, when he got 20, you automatically give him criticism and stick.
“He’s driven them to the title before. If they could get the Yaya Toure of the last couple of years, in title-winning seasons, they have a fantastic chance of winning the league.”
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