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Yaya Toure’s Redemption Complete as His Brace Earns Manchester City Victory
- Updated: November 20, 2016
Manchester City’s form going into their match at Crystal Palace on Saturday was patchy, as Pep Guardiola’s team had struggled to break through stubborn defences and failed to remain resolute at the back.
Few would have expected the answer to those problems would have been a 33-year-old midfielder, frozen out of the team at the beginning of the season and looking destined to leave in the not-too-distant future.
Many thought Yaya Toure had played his last game for City in the 1-0 home victory over Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League playoff second leg in August, especially when the manager commented that the Ivorian wouldn’t be involved in first-team affairs until he or his agent, Dimitri Seluk, apologised for previous comments.
That didn’t look like coming until out of the blue, in the early hours of Nov. 4, a statement was posted on Toure’s website and Facebook page, saying sorry to the club on behalf of himself and his representative.
Yaya Toure’s apology statement in full: pic.twitter.com/pIoAMtxGJ2
— City Watch (@City_Watch) November 4, 2016
His redemption was complete when his two goals earned his team three vital points at Selhurst Park. His first, a smashed effort into the top corner after a one-two with Nolito, was classic Toure—many think his lung-busting drives from midfield, beating multiple men en route to goal, are his trademark, but the powerful drive into the net from just inside or outside the area is more his thing.
The second was less like him. He ghosted into the six-yard box unmarked at a corner and slid the ball home.
After the match, Guardiola felt vindicated by his surprise decision to throw the midfielder back into the starting lineup, telling reporters:
I’m so happy for Yaya Toure because he’s a really nice guy. We now have one more man that can help us achieve our targets this season. The last two months he was amazing in the training sessions. [His] behaviour was absolutely perfect. His teammates love him. He’s another guy who will help us with the rotation in the team.
Great to have you back Yaya
