TOURE: WE WON’T BLOW IT LIKE PSG
YAYA TOURE claims attack is the best form of defence for Manchester City against Monaco. Toure says Paris SaintGermain’s remarkable defeat to Barcelona, when the Ligue 1 side blew a 4-0 lead, is a warning to City not to sit back tomorrow. The Blues lead 5-3, going into the Champions League last-16 return at the Stade Louis II, and Toure says it would be a fatal mistake to try to defend their advantage. “Definitely,” said the midfield star. “From my point of view, and maybe the manager’s too, the best way to defend is to attack. “The best defence is try to score, and they know that, so they will be careful with us. You saw Barcelona and PSG, I don’t need to say any more. It was 4-0 and then it’s 6-1. Our two goals are nothing for a team like Monaco, who are winning all their league games four or 5-0. “PSG had fantastic players up front, but they were trying to defend. I think it was a lack of intensity because they were four goals in front. In the dressing room, those kind of games are warnings. We’re going to attack. We never do it the other way. We will attack and they will expect that as well.”
Toure insists City will not be gung-ho against Monaco and he is wary of their potent attack, which has scored 123 goals already this season.
The Ivorian, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009, claims the key for City is to have a balanced approach.
“That’s very important because, in Europe, you’re going to find tough strikers,” he said. “It will be tough because they have fantastic players, like Bernardo Silva (below) and Thomas Lemar. Our manager’s way is to attack. But we still need to have that equilibrium to control those guys up front.”
City could be boosted by Radamel Falcao’s absence Monaco’s 21-goal top scorer coming off in Saturday’s win over Bordeaux with a knock near his right hip.
The match will be City’s fifth in 14 days and 33-year-old Toure has started the last three. He joked he has to set a good example to the younger players, like Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.
“I think it’s important, because when you’re a winner and when you want to achieve important things, you have to work hard,” he added.
“Sometimes it’s difficult, but you have to be positive, because we know people are waiting for us to fail. We have to keep going, working hard, and when you see players like Sane and Raheem, they are playing so many games.
“But when they see me keeping up with them, they have to do it, otherwise they will be in a bad way.”