Toure hits back at Manchester City critics

Pep Guardiola's style of play can lead to success at Manchester City even though his first season has been difficult, says Yaya Toure.

Published : Mar 18, 2017 20:46 IST , Manchester

Yaya Toure insists Manchester City can win trophies with manager Pep Guardiola's style of play, despite its Champions League exit this week.

City crashed out of the competition on away goals to Ligue 1 team Monaco, the tie ending 6-6 on aggregate after City – which made the semis last season – held a 5-3 lead from the first leg.

Guardiola's side is also 10 points behind Premier League leader Chelsea, a gap that could be 13 by the time it takes to the field at home to top-four rival Liverpool on Sunday.

But after City was heavily criticised in the wake of the Monaco loss, Toure disagrees with suggestions it will not be able to win trophies under Guardiola's free-flowing style.

"Of course we can win trophies playing this way," he told the Times of India. 

"Why not? We know we can score goals and we just have to keep going.

"You have to be ready for [criticism] and you have to be used to that. We know that some people are waiting for us to fail so what we have to do is to try and keep going, keep working hard. 

"That is what you have to do to be a winner. We are playing well in the Premier League and we have to continue."

Asked if the same strategy will be deployed against Liverpool, the 33-year-old added: "Yes. This is the way we play and if we play like that we are going to have more and more fans. 

"Even when we are winning we continue to attack. From the beginning of the season until now we have always showed we want to attack and score goals, that is the most important thing. 

"The new manager is all about attack. Sometimes when you play this way you can make a mistake but mistakes are part of the game."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment