Why Manchester City Need Yaya Toure to Return to Form in Champions League

It’s been a fairly stress-free summer for Manchester City. Another well-planned and well-executed transfer policy saw them effortlessly sign players they had been targeting well in advance, with a strength in depth assembled the likes of which the club has never seen before.

Much of the serenity comes from the organisation and exceptional planning of the club’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and, of course, Manuel Pellegrini.

It’s a structure some clubs in the Premier League fear, but City are showing it can work very well when everyone is pulling in the same direction.

The only negativity was caused by Yaya Toure's agent, Dimitry Seluk, who claimed his client was upset after not receiving a birthday cake when he turned 31, according to Chris Wheeler at the Daily Mail. It was a farcical situation that brought negative media attention on a club that does its best to avoid the limelight.

Whether Toure really did desire a move away from City or whether it was just more mischief-making from Seluk in an attempt to engineer a better deal for his client in the future remains somewhat unclear, but it was certainly an unnecessary distraction, particularly coming as it did just seven days after City had secured the Premier League title.

All the staff at the club should have been celebrating, basking in the glory of their achievement, which came on the back of hard work across all departments. It was certainly a distraction that could have been avoided.

However, it was all sorted when Toure confirmed he would remain at the club, as reported by Steve Brenner in The Guardian. After a season in which he’d managed 20 league goals, his stock was at its highest. The club certainly didn’t want to lose him, and thankfully for the City fans they showed a reluctance to even entertain the idea.

It’s not been a great start to the new season for the Ivorian, though, leading to some concern in certain quarters that his mind is elsewhere, or, even worse, that his best days are over.

That seems somewhat reactionary given the season is very much in its infancy, but there’s little doubt Toure has been off the pace.

If there was ever a good time to prove those doubting his quality wrong, though, it's this week, with City set to face German champions Bayern Munich on Wednesday in their Champions League opener, before a huge game against Chelsea at the Etihad this weekend.

Clearly, it’s too early for these to be considered season-defining matches, but with progression in Europe looking more difficult to negotiate than last season given Roma are in Group E, and with Chelsea already finding themselves five points clear of City in the league, both games are of huge significance.

When Toure is at his best, he can decide the outcome of a game almost single-handedly.

He is the complete midfielder: an outstanding passer who brings both defensive and attacking qualities to the team, with the ability to score goals out of nothing. His lung-busting runs from deep, which turn the defensive into attack in the blink of an eye, remain his most valuable asset.

City are yet to see any of that this term, but it would be ludicrous to write him off just yet. Last season he was superb—arguably the major reason City were so successful. He’s a unique midfielder whom opposition struggles to contain, and against sides like Bayern and Chelsea, who possess serious quality, he can often be the difference; the edge City need to come out on top.

After missing the Arsenal game at the weekend due to a late return from international duty, Toure is likely to partner Fernandinho for City’s next two games. The Brazilian, who was also suffering from a slow start to the season after a disappointing World Cup, was superb at the Emirates, reminding everyone just how important he is to the Sky Blues.

Toure must now look to resurrect his form quickly and reignite his partnership with Fernandinho. It was vital to City last season, and it can be again. If he can do that in time for Wednesday's game with Bayern, those who have questioned his quality may well feel they were somewhat hasty. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here: @RobPollard_