Manuel Pellegrini has defended his decision not to play Yaya Toure from the start because the midfielder was not 100% fit. Yaya Toure, who has not fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the team during recent games, started the game on the bench.
Many pundits were disappointed with Pellegrini’s decision for not playing the Ivorian player from the start because his physical presence would have helped Manchester City break Paris Saint-Germain’s attack. But Pellegrini believes that his decision was the best one since they are still important games remaining in the season.
Manuel Pellegrini wisely brought Yaya Toure on the field during a period where Paris Saint-Germain was looking for an equalizer. The arrival of Toure helped strengthen the midfield when they were under pressure.
The 1-0 win allows Manchester City to progress for the first time in their history to the semi-finals. Pellegrini will certainly want to win this trophy before leaving Manchester City in the summer and in most likelihood it would also be the last tournament that Yaya Toure will compete with City.
With Guardiola coming in as manager next season, it is very likely that Toure will have to look for another club. Indeed, Pep Guardiola was the same manager that sold Toure to Manchester City, and unless he has changed his mind, he would not want to have the Ivorian in his team. But with the performance that Toure has shown in recent weeks as well as in the match against Paris Saint-Germain, he should not have any problems to find a team.
It is reported that Paris Saint-Germain might be interested in Yaya Toure as they seek to build out another team to try and win the Champions League.