Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 10y

Manuel Pellegrini plans to keep Yaya Toure in central midfield for Man City

MANCHESTER - Manuel Pellegrini has mounted a robust defence of Yaya Toure and insisted that he should not move the Manchester City midfielder to a new position.

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Toure, 31, has been criticised for not defending enough, especially in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, but Pellegrini is adamant that central midfield is his best position and pointed out that the Ivorian has had success in that pivotal role in the past.

Last season, the former Barcelona player became only the second central midfielder in the Premier League era to score 20 league goals in a season.

And Pellegrini believes Toure's critics are putting impossible demands on him, saying in a news conference: "Yaya always received criticism about how he plays the last season when he was in his best moment. It is very easy to say he should score 20 goals but must also defend and have better pace and a lot of things that Yaya always received maybe because the way he plays. I don't think Yaya has any problem.

"I think you saw Yaya play last season. That is his best position. He was the best player playing in the position that he likes and makes a difference."

Pellegrini signed defensive midfielder Fernando in the summer and, when the former Porto player recovers from injury, it gives him the option of playing the newcomer and Fernandinho as a central midfield duo, with Toure in a more advanced role.

But the Chilean asked: "Why do you want to change Yaya into another position? He was the best player in that position last year and you want to change his position?

"Maybe there will be a possibility to play in some way with Yaya, Fernando and Fernandinho, because Yaya can play in both positions but I'm not waiting for Fernando to change Yaya's position."

Toure's summer of unrest began when his agent Dimitry Seluk accused City of ignoring his client's birthday and showing him a lack of respect, before suggesting he could quit the Etihad Stadium.

But while Pellegrini accepts that Toure is not playing at his optimum level now, he believes the death of his brother, Ibrahim, is more of a factor.

He added: "Maybe some of you think it's strange why he is not in the best moment but we started the season and maybe he had a lot of personal problems with his brother, not what was said in the media, but in what he feels about it.

"There are a lot of human things and maybe that is why he is not in his best performance at the moment. I think as a team, as a coach, as a club we must support him because he is a very important player, he makes a difference and I'm sure he will return to his best. But he is always being criticised."

City host Chelsea on Sunday and Pellegrini is adamant that Toure can perform on the major stages, saying: "I think that Yaya is a player that makes a difference in big games."

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