Yaya Toure

[andrewmswift]

Yaya is at his best not when he plays in advanced midfield, but when he plays as a deep lying controller who comes forward. For that to work against teams that press, we need a third composed midfielder to allow rapid exchanges of passes with Yaya and Fernandinho to tire the opposition and create space, thereby opening the game up.

Nasri would be a good fit, perhaps Rodwell, even Garcia in this role might work.

 

[6one]

I notice the consensus here seems to be that we're best off playing Yaya in an advanced midfield role. Yes he's been very effective in that role in the past but that was when games became stretched giving him the opportunity to make them barnstorming runs.

Against a parked bus there's no space to run into so him playing in an attacking role would be fruitless, would it not?

You have a point there.

Yes. I agree.

If you look at the Stats Zone app or website on FourFourTwo and look at the passes "received" by Yaya, you will see how many passes from all over the pitch go to him. Essentially, almost everything goes through him.

If I were an opposition manager, I'd get my team to sit deep like they all do following the blueprint that QPR set in *that* game but when Yaya gets the ball to get 3 men to press him then sit off again when he releases it.

The start of nearly every move goes through Yaya.

Rather than trying to move him up the pitch we need to start developing alternative patterns of play to become less reliant on him.

He should also be rotate this season, something which Mancini refused to do, as though he was being punished for going to the African Cup of Nations.

 

[andrewmswift]

I notice the consensus here seems to be that we're best off playing Yaya in an advanced midfield role. Yes he's been very effective in that role in the past but that was when games became stretched giving him the opportunity to make them barnstorming runs.

Against a parked bus there's no space to run into so him playing in an attacking role would be fruitless, would it not?

You have a point there.

Yes. I agree.

If you look at the Stats Zone app or website on FourFourTwo and look at the passes "received" by Yaya, you will see how many passes from all over the pitch go to him. Essentially, almost everything goes through him.

If I were an opposition manager, I'd get my team to sit deep like they all do following the blueprint that QPR set in *that* game but when Yaya gets the ball to get 3 men to press him then sit off again when he releases it.

The start of nearly every move goes through Yaya.

Rather than trying to move him up the pitch we need to start developing alternative patterns of play to become less reliant on him.

He should also be rotate this season, something which Mancini refused to do, as though he was being punished for going to the African Cup of Nations.

Totally agree with this (as my post above indicates), and totally agree on what the opposition's strategy should be.