Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has called on midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure to recapture the form that inspired Manchester City to a pair of Barclays Premier League titles in the last four seasons.
The Ivorian came in for criticism last season for his perceived lazy performances as the Citizens relinquished the title to Chelsea and there was speculation in the summer that he was set to leave English football and reunite with former boss Roberto Mancini in Serie A with Inter Milan [via Mail Sport].
However, Toure committed his future to the Etihad Stadium outfit and showed signs of his best form in their season opener against West Brom last Monday as he scored one a provided an assist for David Silva in a comfortable 3-0 victory at the Hawthorns.
Many have been full of praise for the 32-year-old in the aftermath of the game against the Baggies, but Carragher says Toure should be judged on his performances against the bigger clubs in the division:
“Let’s not be fooled into thinking that one performance against a likely mid-table team means all his problems are behind him,” the Sky Sports pundit wrote in his column for Mail Sport.
“Last season, Toure also put in performances like that — no central midfielder scored more than his 10 league goals — but in the big matches he was poor.”
“Now he has to show he can play like that for the majority of the season, starting with the big game against Chelsea,” Carragher added.
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