I want to take on Pep from the dugout
YAYA TOURE on coaching Spurs Under16s, his feud with Guardiola…and why he missed THAT Aguero goal
YAYA TOURE has a pen in his hand and is wearing the white training kit of Tottenham Hotspur. It used to be a ball at his feet and the skyblue jersey of Manchester City. This is Yaya 2.0.
He is sitting behind the desk of his London home and working on the next day’s session for Tottenham’s Under 16s. He likes that pen, maintaining his grip throughout our conversation. In many ways, it symbolises the next chapter.
His playing pages drew to a close with some unsettled scores. Pep Guardiola among them. Last year, Toure told Sportsmail he had written to his former City boss in an effort to end their feud. The Ivorian had given an interview in which he claimed Guardiola did not like African players. He regrets that and claims he was misquoted.
Still, there has been no reply from Guardiola. Maybe it will be that they next meet on a touchline, should Toure’s script lead him to the stage he so desires.
‘I would be more than happy to talk with him,’ he says. ‘I’m on a different pathway now. I will be someone who tries to understand my players, different cultures and footballers, bringing them together to make a team. I will become a manager one day.’
But, for now, it is baby steps in north London. For a man who made giant strides as a player — literally and metaphorically — there is an acceptance that this is how it must be.
He rejected the advances of managerless Wigan Athletic last month to remain at Spurs, and, ironically, the position was later filled by his brother, Kolo.
‘You can be a big player and not be a big coach,’ says Toure, 39. ‘Before, as a player, I was so selfish. I only looked after myself.
‘Now, I have to understand children. At their age, life is not so certain. You have to support them, talk to them a lot.
‘When I was a teenager, playing in Belgium, I made mistakes. With food, behaviour. I was out driving cars. If you don’t have someone who understands you, it’s tough.
‘I want to be that person who is there for them. But I also want to push them to realise their dreams. I say to them, “Do you see Xavi and Iniesta? I played with them, I can talk to you about what they did differently. Come on, let’s watch some videos”.
‘There is not a barrier between me and them, they can always come to me.’
Toure the coach will be measured on a matchday. Draw your own conclusions as to which of his old City bosses he might be referring to, as he says: ‘One thing I never liked was a manager shouting at me during a game. It can be confusing.
‘I don’t want to shout from the touchline like a crazy old clown. You should make sure you have prepared properly and given the right instruction before the game.’
And that is why Toure’s pen rarely leaves his grasp. HOW, on the back of three Premier League titles and an era-changing contribution at City, can Toure’s association with his old club feel strained? The deterioration of his relationship with Guardiola and various public utterances, some by those close to him, are the primary cause. But the perception of Toure arising from that is, he believes, unjust. ‘Some people have a view of you that is not always fair,’ he says. ‘But I’m over it now. As a Muslim, a believer, you understand that things cannot go your way all the time. You have to deal with it and move on.’ But, surely, it must jar that former team-mates Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have statues at the Eithad Stadium, and he does not? Toure laughs, but not in denial of the suggestion.
‘It’s down to the club and fans,’ he adds. ‘My dream when I came to City was to make a big impact. If you remember, journalists were questioning why I was coming. People asked, “Is it only money?”.
‘I knew what I wanted to achieve. At every club, I have left a legacy. If some people want to reward me for what I did for them, it is fine. If they don’t, that is up to them.’
Toure (left) concedes that Guardiola’s team of today is ‘far better’ than the one which won City’s first Premier League title in 2012, although he welcomes, albeit with a smile, a recent column by Sportsmail’s Micah Richards saying Kevin De Bruyne is not yet as good as he was. It leads us to an anecdote he delivers with great warmth.
‘Did you know I missed Sergio Aguero’s goal?’ begins Toure. I did not.
It was 10 years ago that City had to beat Queens Park Rangers at home on the final day of the season to win that maiden title. In stoppage time, Aguero made it 3-2. It is football’s ‘JFK’ moment — everyone remembers where they were. So, where was Toure?
‘On the treatment table in the dressing room!’ he booms. ‘We were too relaxed that day. We thought QPR would be a piece of cake. In the first half, I stretched myself passing the ball to Pablo Zabaleta, who scored. I felt my hamstring ping. It was horrible.
‘I spoke to Roberto Mancini at half-time. He thought we were in control. He said, “Don’t worry, we have the players to take care of it. You rest”.
‘QPR equalised and I could hear the fans shouting outside. I said to the kitman, Chappy, “Look, this is too stressful. Please, can you get a TV in front of me?”. We watched QPR score again, 2-1.
‘Now, I understand what fans go through. I felt that fear, and how quickly it can take hold. I went through everything. I was going to the toilet every two minutes!’
Edin Dzeko equalised in the 92nd minute before Aguero’s title-winning intervention.
‘I forgot all about my hamstring and sprinted down the tunnel. I don’t know how, but I found myself on the pitch. The doctor said, “What are you doing here?”. I was like, “I don’t know!”. I will never forget that moment.’
It is now Toure’s mission, and that of his pen, to write such moments in the second half of his career.
Yaya Toure was speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for the FIFA World Cup.