3. Will Yaya Toure try?
When Yaya Toure is fully engaged in a match, there isn’t a more dynamic midfielder in the Premier League. Unfortunately for City, those matches seem to occur less and less often these days.
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When news of Manuel Pellegrini’s lame duck status broke, my thoughts quickly turned to Yaya Toure. The Chilean manager struggled to motivate his enigmatic star when he was the permanent boss, how can he be expected to keep Toure on task with no real power?
The simple answer is that he cannot. Pellegrini can only hope that he gets the good version of Toure more often than not. That can’t be a comforting feeling for the City boss.
Typically Toure plays harder in what he perceives to be “big” matches so we should see a good version of the bulky midfielder for this match-up. You can’t be certain of his effort level though, and that’s why this is one of five keys that will determine the match’s winner. It’s a sad question to have to ask, but City fans know there is a real chance they will see an unmotivated, uninterested Toure against Spurs.
Next: Can Manchester City's centre backs handle Harry Kane?