Show me you’re up for a scrap

PEP’S CHALLENGE TO YAYA

® team needs him. He was so important last season. He’ll be so important this season.”

Toure made 31 appearances last season, despite only returning to the team in mid-November after comments from his agent Dimitri Seluk angered Guardiola so much that he dropped him.

Toure, 34, went on to sign a 12-month extension and Guardiola insists that he is still a big part of his plans.

The Spaniard said: “He’s part of the group. He’s a guy who I admire. What he’s done in his career, he’s an exceptional player. Now he wasn’t in the last games or in the squad.

“But of course he’s going to help us. We will see (if he’s in the squad for this weekend).”

Crush

City have scored nine goals in their last two games and they will expect to swat the Hornets today.

And Guardiola reckons his stars are developing the mental strength needed to win the big games.

He added: “I think every player believes, but sometimes in a bad situation or moment we were not able to overcome the situation.

“You have to do that. You have to have a strong mentality so when you see the players they have the personality to play on the big stages.

“That is what I want to feel. Of course we can lose, but from the beginning against Liverpool and Feyenoord, from the first minute, we showed the supporters that we wanted to play and win this game.

‘‘That’s what I want to see always from my team.”