Guardiola is happy to be back in Yaya- land!
YAYA TOURE’s big- match mentality could the key to a longer-term future at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
It seems laughable to even think that after Toure missed the first three months of the season.
Many felt he would never play for City again.
But since he made peace with Guardiola and came back into the side, the Ivorian has once again been a vital performer.
The 33-year-old midfielder will go straight back into City’s Champions League squad for the last- 16 tie against Monaco, having been omitted from the list for the group stages.
He was excellent in the 5-0 FA Cup win at West Ham in their last match, and City will need him to produce something similar for the game at Everton.
But Toure has rarely failed to deliver in his six- and- ahalf years in Manchester, as his collection of medals shows.
That’ s something his manager acknowledges.
“I know Yaya better than most and he hasn’t surprised me,” says Guardiola. “I judge players on whether they are able to go to Anfield, Old Trafford, the Nou Camp, Madrid or Turin and if they are able to react.
“There is no doubt about Yaya with that.
“It is the most precious and valued way I judge a player and, with Yaya, it doesn’t matter where he plays.
“There are good players. But the best players go to the biggest stadiums against the most important teams in big competitions or the Premier League, and they react.
“Yaya’s personality is huge in those terms. But I already knew that.
“I knew that in Barcelona and I knew it from the beginning here.
“He will definitely be in the Champions League squad. He deserves it.
“In the first part of the season, he wasn’t in the squad because of physical reasons and we all know the second reason why he didn’t play.
“But we will talk about contracts at the end of the season.”
Toure is the most highprofile of six members of City’s squad who are out of contract in the summer.
The others are Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas, Bacary Sagna and
No .2 goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
All six are over 30 and Guardiola knows he has to bringer a more youthful look to an ageing team.
But all six have won silverware at the club and the Catalan coach is not closing the door on any of them.
“Last season we had the oldest team in the Premier League and this year it is still one of the oldest,” he admits.
“But most of the players here have made this club what it is at this moment – a huge club.
“They have won the Premier League and they helped to create the next step in Europe.
“People have started to speak about Manchester City in different terms than in the past.
“I’m not thinking about building a new generation yet because the level that Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Yaya have showed is good.
“I only mention those players because of their age but their performances so far have been right to play.
“They deserve to play now and maybe they will deserve to extend their contracts.
“We are going to see over the next months.”