Pablo Zabaleta said he is convinced Yaya Toure will soon play at his highest level after the Ivorian scored his first league goal for five months.
Toure had been criticised for his form in recent weeks but broke the deadlock with a 20-yard shot in Manchester City's 2-0 win at Aston Villa on Saturday.
The 31-year-old became only the second central midfielder in Premier League history to score 20 league goals in a season last year and right-back Zabaleta hopes for a repeat in the current campaign.
He said: "I think last season he was fantastic. He scored 20 goals and that for a midfielder is just incredible. I would like to see Yaya scoring more goals, 20 if possible. We need him back to his best form in terms of passing, even free-kicks. We are 100 per cent sure we will see the best of Yaya soon.
"He's been okay at the moment for us and he knows how important he is for that team. He should be full of confidence because we know how important he is for the team, as do the fans. And hopefully he can continue scoring goals like [this].
"I think it was so important for him to score. I think he did a great goal. We all know how important Yaya is for the team. If he is on his best form, Yaya can do whatever he wants because he's just different class. We are at our best when Yaya is at his best."
Zabaleta thinks Toure's critics should not forget the contribution he has made to City since his 2010 arrival from Barcelona.
And he feels that his participation for Ivory Coast in the World Cup is one reason for his slow start to the season.
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He added: "Yaya has been one of the main players for Manchester City over the last few years and he has brought a lot of success to the team. Of course, I will always say if everyone is at their best, we will be a much better team.
"Also because in this team we have four or five players who are different class and if they are at their best, we are a much better team.
"And I think sometimes it's been a little bit tough for some of the players who have been at the World Cup because we didn't have too much rest in the summer, we didn't have a proper pre-season. So sometimes it takes time to come back to the best levels in terms of fitness."