While the central midfielder performs wonders for
Manchester City, he has struggled to recreate his inspiring form for the
Cote d'Ivoire
FEATURE
By David Atana
By David Atana
The world seems to be at the feet of Ivorian international Gnegneri Yaya Toure at
the moment. Not only does he score at will these days for Manchester
City, he does so in fantastic fashion. While many say he is the best
midfielder in the English Premier League, others choose to regard him as
one of the finest box-to-box midfielders in the world.
Already this season he has scored 17
league goals which, for a midfielder in a league as strong as the EPL,
is an outstanding feat. He is one of the highest-scoring midfielders in
Europe this season.
All the above achievements are
testament to the calibre of player Yaya has become since he left
Barcelona for Manchester City in 2010. A few years ago, he was just
a defensive midfielder, with little more than degrees separating him
from a whole clutch of African players of a similar mould.
The fact that Yaya Toure has failed to
replicate his excellent club form in his national team colours like his
fellow Ivorian stars is no longer news. This can be likened to his
former team-mate Lionel Messi's inability to carry the Argentina
national team on his shoulders prior to the coming of their present
coach Alessandro Sabella.
Toure & Messi | Similar concerns in the international arena
Toure, 30, has failed to perform
outstandingly for the Elephants of Ivory Coast when it has
mattered most, particularly at important tournaments such as the Cup of
Nations.
At the 2012 and 2013 editions of the
tournament, the Ivorian looked more like an ordinary squad member than
like a player who has now been named the African Footballer of the Year
thrice in a row. He managed to score twice and provided an assist at the
last edition of the continental tournament in South Africa, even though
his country were pooled in a weaker group than some of the other
fancied sides.
In the quarter-final game against
Nigeria, the Manchester City warhorse looked lost in midfield. The
Nigerian duo of Ogenyi Onazi and John Obi Mikel marshalled the centre of
the pitch, making it easier for the Super Eagles to break down the
opposition attacks and set up counter attacks at will. It was this
advantage that led to Nigeria’s winning goal, Sunday Mba running through
the massed Ivorian defenders before firing his name into the history
books.
To date, Yaya Toure has amassed a total
of 82 caps for the Ivorian national team and scored 16 goals. With this
year being a World Cup year, this issue of underperformance should be
taken seriously by the Elephants because at the global football event
they will surely meet stronger opposition than the African prey they had
too often struggled to overcome in recent years.
Toure isn't the only Ivorian superstar to have underperformed for the Elephants
Although it is true that the
widely-publicised 'Golden Generation' of the Ivory Coast might have
failed as a whole, ought the blame for their failure not be placed
predominantly onto the side’s star names?
Too often, the side’s big names have wilted when the pressure has been on them.
At club level, this simply hasn’t been
the case; Yaya Toure demonstrated, against Sunderland in the recent
League Cup Final, how he is capable of changing the complexion of a
major game. By the same token, Didier Drogba is rightly revered by
Chelsea fans for the way he single-handedly turned the tide their way in
the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich in 2012.
Toure, for his part, has not looked
like an all-conquering midfield powerhouse when coming up against
supposedly weaker African midfields.
If the Ivorian team has any hope of
making a mark at this year's showpiece, they must look for viable
solutions to the underwhelming performances too often delivered by their
key players, especially Toure.
So, just why does the Manchester City midfielder struggle to replicate his impressive club form for the national side?
The closest answer might not be far
from the fans’ incorrect typology of the player and consequently, the
impact they expect from him.
Toure, as wonderful as he is as a
midfielder, is by no means a traditional playmaker, thus while he scores
cracking goals and creates few chances, he is not, in my opinion, to be
held responsible for carrying the entire burden of Cote d’Ivoire.
In order for the Elephants to realise
their potential at the World Cup, Toure must be surrounded by the right
kind of players. He must be allowed to act as a driving force for a
side, an effective approach, but not the sole approach.
For this, I believe he must be courted by at least one fellow creative talent within the midfield.
Here, we may stumble upon the Ivorians’
key weakness; they can boast tenacious defensive midfielders in the
style of Cheick Tiote, Serey Die and Gosso Gosso, but with regards to
central defenders who can take the creative burden from Toure, there is
little beyond the inconsistencies of Romaric.
If too much creative and attacking
burden is placed upon Toure then his performances may suffer and he will
likely, once again, fail to make the kind of glittering contribution
that has become almost commonplace at City.
Unless they can find a balance in
midfield, and allow Yaya to flourish, the Golden Generation could be set
for further disappointment.
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