Toure has harsh words for his former Manchester City manager.
It’s pretty apparent that Yaya Toure is not a big fan of his former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The Ivorian made a number of inflammatory comments about the Spaniard in a recent interview with France Football.
Toure spent eight years on the blue side of Manchester and was a major contributor to the team’s successes. That is until this past season when the midfielder spent most of his time on the bench. Now a free agent, Toure is not holding back on how he views Guardiola.
The first explosive claim from Toure was that Guardiola “often has problems with Africans.” He hinted that the City boss did not treat players from Africa as well as others.
He also labeled Guardiola a “hypocrite” for the praise he heaped on him in his last game at the Etihad. Toure found this disingenuous after he spent the past two seasons feeling left out and unappreciated.
He added this stinging comment:
"“If I shed a tear when saying goodbye to the fans, it’s because of the way things broke down and because I couldn’t bear to see that guy anymore.” – Yaya Toure"
Toure questions Guardiola’s credentials
Toure is not sold on Guardiola’s status as one of world football’s elite managers.
"“Pep wants to come across as a genius. He loves that. But behind that, it’s all an act, it’s nonsense. He’s creating a persona. When I see him scratching his head during matches, it makes me laugh.” – Yaya Toure"
Toure is looking forward to proving that Guardiola was wrong to overlook him this season. He is so driven by revenge that he is willing to join another top Premier League side for just £1-a-week according to his agent Dimitry Seluk.
Whether Toure truly harbors these feelings for Guardiola or is just venting after a lack of first team action remains to be seen. Meanwhile players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Jerome Boateng have defended Guardiola from Toure’s criticism.
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What do you make of Yaya Toure’s comments?