Jamie Carragher has blasted Yaya Toure following the Ivorian’s performance in
Manchester City’s 2-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal on Monday.
Toure was one of the least effective figures on the pitch at the Emirates as
City suffered a third loss in their last five Premier League games.
While Toure did score the goal that gave City late hope in the game, Sky
Sports pundit Carragher blasted his “selfish” performance.
“It wound me up the fact that he got the goal at the end,” he said on Monday
Night Football.
“It’s like he comes alive, he goes ‘ooh we’ve got a goal, we’ve got a chance
of me getting a bit of glory and being involved’.
“They lost the game tonight and one of the major reasons was the space
[Mesut] Ozil had behind him.
“It’s nothing new, it’s nothing we haven’t said in the last two or three
years but it comes back to the fact that he just wants to switch it on when
he thinks he can get a goal.
“You’re talking about one of your major players, your leaders in the dressing
room, that’s unbelievably selfish the way he has played tonight.
“He is good on the ball and can find passes but if you want to get [David]
Silva as a number 10 and Yaya as a central midfielder, it’s going to get to
the stage where he can’t play him in central midfield.”
Former Arsenal striker and fellow pundit Thierry Henry backed up Carragher’s
comments.
“Tracking back is not his forte anymore and was never actually his forte,” he
said. “But he doesn’t even try to come back anymore.
“I thought that he was going to play as a 10 and Silva wide and [Fabian]
Delph inside.
“I think if they carry on playing Yaya Toure as a holding midfielder –
especially away from home – they will struggle. At home you can get by but he
has to play high.”
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