Player topic : Yaya Toure (2015/16)

[fatbloke]

There's me thinking it should have been the wide forwards (kdb/sterling) who should have been protecting the the fullbacks and fern and Delph covering the middle.
Yaya is not played for his defensive ability. On Saturday we created fook all without him and were lucky to only concede 2.
Some people just don't see it.
As someone has posted Yaya is on a hiding to nothing with some fans no matter what.

So our forwards have a job to do defensively but a central midfielder is exempt?

Here's me thinking every player has some defensive responsibilities but not if your name is Yaya Toure.

 

[Steve68]

So our forwards have a job to do defensively but a central midfielder is exempt?

Here's me thinking every player has some defensive responsibilities but not if your name is Yaya Toure.

Agreed. We didn't spend a hundred mill on auxiliary full backs. They have defensive duties but covering for Yaya isn't it. We either accept that playing Yaya leaves gaping holes on the grounds he offers enough in other areas to make it worthwhile or we don't pick him.

I don't know the answer but I do know I've seen way too many times where players go by him like he's not there or he is in fact not there because he's slowly plodding back up field.

And I've also seen him do a lot of great stuff.

We can play him in a midfield three with solid players around him but it does mean, like with BM, we sacrifice a forward.

its not fair to leave him exposed in front of the back four in a deep lying position when he hasn't the legs for it any more. Not while we play so gung Ho we get caught on the counter attack at speed anyway. It would be a stevie starfish slip waiting to happen and Yaya has been too great a player for us to be put into a situation like that.

When great players get older it's a problem. But whatever the solution I'm not going to forget all the things he's done for us.

 

[gazzaa2]

If you watched the game, you just let me know which wide players you're talking about? Would it be Fernandinho and Delph who had to protect Yaya in the middle or the extremely narrow front 3 of Silva, De Bruyne and Sterling? We only moved Sterling out wide left when Bony and Navas came on, haha!!

Delph and Fernandinho were running about like idiots trying to cover central and wide areas because Yaya was so static, the centre backs were having to step out because he wasn't shielding them and that was a factor in both goals. Before you say he's not picked for his defensive contribution, you play as a team, every man whether it's a defender or striker has defensive responsibilities. No one is knocking his attacking contribution, in terms of the last 10-15 minutes Yaya was back to his best in that respect but you're letting that completely overrule your head in terms of a complete performance over 90 minutes.

Yaya's been overrun in Europe since we signed him when we play anyone half decent.

 

[stalyblue75]

Agreed. We didn't spend a hundred mill on auxiliary full backs. They have defensive duties but covering for Yaya isn't it. We either accept that playing Yaya leaves gaping holes on the grounds he offers enough in other areas to make it worthwhile or we don't pick him.

I don't know the answer but I do know I've seen way too many times where players go by him like he's not there or he is in fact not there because he's slowly plodding back up field.

And I've also seen him do a lot of great stuff.

We can play him in a midfield three with solid players around him but it does mean, like with BM, we sacrifice a forward.

its not fair to leave him exposed in front of the back four in a deep lying position when he hasn't the legs for it any more. Not while we play so gung Ho we get caught on the counter attack at speed anyway. It would be a stevie starfish slip waiting to happen and Yaya has been too great a player for us to be put into a situation like that.

When great players get older it's a problem. But whatever the solution I'm not going to forget all the things he's done for us.

Agree with much of what you say.
But I wasn't suggesting in my original post that the fowards should be auxiliary fullbacks.
But they should drop back when out of possession so the actual fullbacks don't get outnumbered. They were doing it at the beginning of the season when we won 5 out of 5. Font know why it's changed -maybe because we are playing 3 midfielders.
But my point is Yaya cannot defend, so we really shouldn't expect him too. But he makes the team tick going forward. Just look at how uncreative we are when he's not playing. Remember last yr when he went on AFCON, how many games did we win?

 

[fatbloke]

Agree with much of what you say.
But I wasn't suggesting in my original post that the fowards should be auxiliary fullbacks.
But they should drop back when out of possession so the actual fullbacks don't get outnumbered. They were doing it at the beginning of the season when we won 5 out of 5. Font know why it's changed -maybe because we are playing 3 midfielders.
But my point is Yaya cannot defend, so we really shouldn't expect him too. But he makes the team tick going forward. Just look at how uncreative we are when he's not playing. Remember last yr when he went on AFCON, how many games did we win?

He has played centre back and defensive midfielder in a Champions League winning team so don't tell anybody Yaya can't defend. Why are you trying to make excuses for him? Why put Yaya over the team? Why exempt just one player from defensive responsibility?

It doesn't make sense.

 

[Rolee]

@fatbloke, it wasn't just the last 10-15 minutes, that was a much improved Yaya from the first minute to the last than we've seen all season, yes the defensive issues are still there but there was an evident attitude change from him for this game.

 

[fatbloke]

@fatbloke, it wasn't just the last 10-15 minutes, that was a much improved Yaya from the first minute to the last than we've seen all season, yes the defensive issues are still there but there was an evident attitude change from him for this game.

Oh come on mate, if you're going to say his attitude was much improved then by the same token you're saying his attitude for the other 20 odd games this season hasn't been right but you're happy with that?

 

[Rolee]

Oh come on mate, if you're going to say his attitude was much improved then by the same token you're saying his attitude for the other 20 odd games this season hasn't been right but you're happy with that?

When did I say I was happy with that? I'm just acknowledging that he played well the other night, I was happy with his seeming change in attitude and I'm giving credit where it's due.

 

[fatbloke]

When did I say I was happy with that? I'm just acknowledging that he played well the other night, I was happy with his seeming change in attitude and I'm giving credit where it's due.

You can't give credit to someone of his age, experience and standing within the squad (vice captain) because his attitude has been good in one game out of 20 odd.

 

[Rolee]

You can't give credit to someone of his age, experience and standing within the squad (vice captain) because his attitude has been good in one game out of 20 odd.

Can't I? I can't give him credit for that performance? Why not?