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24th February 2016
01:23pm GMT
If ever there was a player for whom China was calling it's Yaya Toure. They, and they alone, pack the financial might to pay the Ivorian what he thinks he's worth. Because whatever he's been earning at the Etihad it's a long time since he consistently proved that he's worth it.
This could well be Toure's last shot at the UEFA Champions League, a tournament he won with Barcelona in 2009 when, under Pep Guardiola, Manchester United were dispatched in Rome thank to goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi and, starting tonight in Kiev, Toure needs to be the driving force behind their drive towards Milan in May.
Manchester City have yet to reach the last eight of the tournament despite the outlay of Arabian petrodollars that placed this working class club at European football's top table.
The reasons for their struggles are varied, from difficult groups to just bad luck and terrible refereeing decisions.
But ultimately the most damning fact is that in this competition their big players have too often delivered far too little. And there's no player bigger in size or stature than Yaya Toure.
It seems likely that Toure will leave the Etihad this summer, with China the most obvious destination. It would be nice for this tournament to get one sustained last look at his undoubted ability.
The Manchester City manager described Sunday's 5-1 FA Cup shellacking at Stamford Bridge as "not a real game" and the reaction to his decision to send out the kids to take on one of their fiercest rivals has ranged from claims the Chilean totally disrespected a grand old trophy to a suggestion that slap in the face for the travelling fans.
Pellegrini's decision to send out the kids betrayed the true feelings many managers must have to a competition that tends to cause fixture chaos and headaches for little or no apparent gain.
But only the next week will determine whether his gamble was worth it. Three wins in the next eight days – starting tonight in Kiev – would put City in a position where they have one foot in the quarter final of the UEFA Champions League, have their first piece of silverware of the season with a Capital One Cup final victory over Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday, and would be back in the title hunt if they again defeat Jurgen Klopp's side in the Premier League next Wednesday.
Only then will we know if Pellegrini's calculated gamble has paid off.
Long before Barcelona's MSN strikeforce there was Blackburn's SAS (Shearer and Sutton). Manchester City's variation on that acronym (Silva, Aguero and Sterling) may never quite reach the heights of Barca's revered trio but they should still be the envy of almost every other club in Europe. Injuries have meant the trio haven't had as much time on the pitch together as Manuel Pellegrini would have liked but, if they all make the starting line-up in Kiev tonight, it is a perfect opportunity for them to start taking some of the headlines and plaudits away from Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
To celebrate teaming up with the UEFA Champions League, Walkers are on hand to get you #GAMEREADY with prizes from official UEFA T-shirts and footballs, to tickets to the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final in Milan. To be in with a chance of winning visit www.game-ready.com.Explore more on these topics:
