One of the most formidable sights in football is seeing Yaya Toure in full flight, as his giant legs launch him out of his own half and allow the Ivorian to gallop menacingly into the opposition penalty area. Now back from international duties in the African Cup of Nations (ACoN) Manchester City’s energetic box to box midfielder finds himself propelled back onto our Watchlist.
Just this month, in his first game back during the Europa League, Toure proved his Fantasy potential, providing both assists in Man City’s 2-1 win over Porto. So far in the Premier League this season he has notched three goals, six assists and picked up nine bonus points over 20 appearances. Arguably, Toure is on course for an even better season than in 2010-11, where he was one of the top performing midfielders with a total score of 146. He has already matched last term’s assist tally and is half way to equalling his six goal haul.
Starts are seemingly assured, after the Ivorian began every Premier League match prior to the ACoN and, with an average of 4.4 points per game, he offers the prospect of a steady stream of Fantasy returns. So far he has hit double digits twice this season, both at home, against Norwich and Liverpool.
Toure’s departure to the ACoN has also seen a drop in price, with the midfielder now coming in at just 7.5, a remarkable discount on his 8.0 starting price. This presents Fantasy managers with the opportunity to tap into the potent Man City attacking threat at a far lower price than 11.2m forward Sergio Aguero and 10.5m midfielder David Silva.
The Ivorian’s value may come in handy in the medium term when the light blue half of Manchester’s fixtures stiffen and the red half’s brighten, as Fantasy managers look to freshen up their squads. Following two attractive home games against Blackburn and Bolton, Man City face a series of potentially tricky matches (swa, CHE, sto, SUN, ars) which could present Silva owners with an opportunity to downgrade to Toure and free up much needed funds for the likes of Wayne Rooney. Later this week, we’ll have a look at Toure in more detail, in a Members “Versus” article with Silva, for those contemplating such a move.
While he should escape rotation, Fantasy managers will be wary of the fact that Toure could be shackled to a defensive midfield role, with attacking midfielders including James Milner, Adam Johnson, Silva and Samir Nasri all available to Roberto Mancini for selection. This tactic was seen during parts of the first half of the season, where, in the absence of the then injured Nigel De Jong, it was Toure who was stationed alongside Gareth Barry, protecting the back four.
With De Jong back in contention, however, and Toure’s heroics as part of the attacking midfield three against Porto still very much fresh in the mind, Mancini has, once again, fielded the Ivorian in a more advanced role for this evening’s return against the Portuguese side. A good sign, then, for his Fantasy owners, as City look to push on and widen the two-point lead over United at the top of the table.
