“I want to be better than Patrick Vieira,” a young midfielder told Arsene Wenger back in 2003.
The Arsenal manager then proceeded to play him up front in every training session for the next few months – and told him he should play centre forward, or at least attacking midfield.
Yaya Touré could not secure a work permit in order to sign for Arsenal, unlike his brother who secured one after being shipped to Belgian feeder club Beveren, but despite Wenger’s advice, still wanted to be the next Vieira.
Fast forward ten years, Touré was THE Premier League’s midfielder: every team wanted to buy him, he was in every fantasy team, on every back page and only Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge managed more goals all season.
Now, he looks a complacent shadow of the man he once was.
He spent the summer complaining about the owners’ failure to send him a birthday card and then tragically lost his brother Ibrahim to cancer as fate and fortune conspired against him at the 2014 World Cup.
After a summer of discontent, the former Champions League winner then drew widespread criticism from City fans after their last-gasp defeat to Bayern Munich.
He was seen laughing and joking with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola in the tunnel just minutes after the final whistle, having given an absent performance on the pitch.
It was the most enthralled he had looked all night.
The forums were alight with calls for the Ivorian’s head, with many fans deeming the January transfer window the ideal opportunity to cash in on a player who all of a sudden appears to be past his best.
He seemed eager to leave the club in the summer, but would a transfer be the right move for City, or their 2013/14 Player of the Season?
The evolution of the 31-year-old midfielder has been quite remarkable.
Under the aforementioned Guardiola at Barca, Touré won his Champions League medal playing at centre-back due to injuries, and found himself in a constantly battle for a place in the starting line-up in midfield with Sergio Busquets.
He failed to establish himself fully and Guardiola’s clear preference of Busquets created a rift that made his position untenable.
When he made a €30million (£23.5million) switch to Manchester in 2010, he quickly became a rock at the centre of Roberto Mancini’s midfield.
As a tall leggy defensive midfielder, he made the enforcer role his own and became the Blues’ own Touré de Force.
In his first three seasons, he made 99 Premier League appearances, won four major trophies, and scored the only goal in the 2011 FA Cup final.
Despite that sensational match-winner, he managed just 18 goals in those games.
He played in a midfield three with Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry who would sit deep, and allow the more unpredictable talent David Silva and Mario Balotelli the freedom to roam.
Over those three seasons, Touré became the lynchpin of that trio.
In his first season, he made on average 52 passes a game. In his next three, he made over 70.
He was City’s go-to man when they had the ball and as his game and body developed he went from a gangly enforcer to an athletic playmaker.
The 2013/14 season was a watershed moment for Touré’s game.
He was 30, and another change of system and the addition of Fernandinho allowed the Ivoiran to utilise his tremendous pace and balance going forward.
He revived the role of box-to-box midfielder, took over the role of free kicks and often penalties, and became a leader in the Man City group.
The new-found freedom saw him blossom into the attacking force that Arsene Wenger had seen in him all those years ago.
Something has changed in Touré himself now.
He looks heavier both in mass and in mind, than he ever has in a City shirt, and his motivation is at an all-time low.
Furthermore, with the addition of Fernando to the squad, there is no reason to believe that City have not already replaced their main man.
No-one except the man himself can explain exactly why there has been such a shift in Touré’s attitude and resulting performances.
What the stats tell us is that his passing range, by design or accident, looks like it is shrinking.
For the first half of last season his average pass length was just over 18 metres, but for the second half, it was closer to 16 metres. This season his average pass length stands at just 15.
Sir Alex Ferguson (who famously sold Jaap Stam on the basis of one tackling stat) will tell you never to be a slave to the statistics – but combine the decreases in his number of dribbles and accuracy of both shooting and passing with the lacklustre performances of the man.
The decline of Yaya Touré seems to be well under way.
Pellegrini would do well to cash in on what remains of Touré’s reputation in January.
He has a large contract that sees him through to 2017, so commanding a reasonable fee would not be difficult.
And with Financial Fair Play very much at the forefront of Manchester City’s mind – look at the departure of Alvaro Negredo – collecting £30million for a midfielder who no longer appears to be up to scratch would give them some very welcome freedom.
Image courtesy of Manchester City FC via YouTube with thanks
