Exhausted Toure needs time to reflect
Jul 03, 2014 06:00 By Stuart Brennan 9 Comments
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Blues midfield ace heads list of stars who badly need a summer break before Premier League resumes after Brazil exertions.
Yaya Toure needs to get away from football, spend some time with his family – and only then decide where his future lies.
Many City fans were angry with the Ivorian midfielder last month when he made noises about wanting to leave the Blues because of what he deemed a lack of respect.
His agent’s ludicrous claim that the fact City had not properly recognised his birthday only served to deepen the growing resentment among many supporters.
But the news that Yaya’s brother, Ibrahim, had died of cancer while he was away at the World Cup finals casts a whole new light on the situation.
It seems that Yaya needs our sympathy and understanding rather than condemnation for what appeared to be spoilt and ungrateful.
People who are hurting to the extent he is can easily lash out and later regret their grief-fuelled outburst.
Throw in the fact that Yaya played more football than anyone else in City’s squad, with 48 appearances in a season that was physically demanding and mentally tough, and you start to get an idea of his state of mind.
“I got through this World Cup like a ghost,” he said after the tournament.
“Never 100 per cent. I gave everything I could but sometimes it was not enough. I suffered in silence, I kept to myself.
“I admit that I’m completely drained, worn out, both physically and mentally. All these emotions on top of each other have totally exhausted me. I am out of energy. After the World Cup, I will take myself away from it all for a while.”
He is clearly, and understandably, in a difficult emotional state as well, so a break from the game for a few weeks will hopefully clear his mind.
Club managers tend to view the major summer international tournaments with mixed feelings. The very fact that their players are out in Brazil, fighting to take football’s ultimate prize, is a re-affirmation – and a reinforcement – of the quality and character they will have at their disposal.
But the further they progress, the later they return to club training, which can bring problems in itself.
City will allow their World Cup players roughly a month off from the time of their elimination, with that time trimmed for those reaching the semi-finals and final.