Manchester City Are Beginning to Evolve Without Yaya Toure

Twelve months ago, the thought of Manchester City being able to hold their own without the presence of Yaya Toure in their midfield would have been unthinkable.

After all, Toure was perhaps the best midfielder in the Premier League at that time, and certainly one of the best in Europe. His dominating displays in the middle of the park were almost single-handedly holding Manchester City together at times, and he was earning rave reviews all across the footballing world.

It was those kinds of performances that this week earned him a nomination to be selected for UEFA's Team of the Year based on the last 12 months in European football.

However, it's ironic that in the week Toure was nominated for such a prestigious accolade, Manchester City themselves provided another clear indicator that they are learning to cope without their Ivorian talisman in the middle of the park in Europe.

Such talk may seem churlish and over the top, but it's evident that over the last five or six months, City and Yaya Toure are beginning to grow apart, both on the field and off it.

The whole saga surrounding the birthday cake in and around the World Cup was the start, and things haven't really improved from that moment onwards.

Those who were at the Etihad Stadium last night won't have seen it, but in the TV coverage for their 3-2 win against Bayern Munich, Paul Scholes (admittedly, a man who City fans may not take much notice of) hit the nail exactly on the head:

"

Yaya Toure has been a 'problem' for Man City in Europe and his absence played in their favour, says Paul Scholes http://t.co/ntvVfT9yol

— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) November 26, 2014"

Calling Toure a "problem" is again talk that may seem harsh on the Ivory Coast international, but such claims are not without merit. City have visibly struggled this season on all fronts, and Toure's form has been strikingly similar to the team's in general.

Gone are the dominating, goalscoring performances from Toure. Twenty goals in just 35 league games last year was sensational form, and perhaps only overshadowed by the extraordinary exploits of Luis Suarez. Two goals in just 11 games this year is sub-standard at best from the 31-year-old. Toure is also averaging far less assists than he was last year, too, per WhoScored.com. Simply put, his influence on City just isn't the same anymore.

City's midfield has been long built around the presence of Toure, but against Bayern on Tuesday night, things seemed different. There seemed to be a balance to City's midfield, the kind of which hasn't really been seen when Toure has been in the side.

Sure, Bayern only had 10 men for the most part of the game, but this was still Bayern Munich. The three of Fernando, James Milner and the exceptional Frank Lampard were superb all evening, and as a trio, they looked to have a greater understanding than any midfield which has featured Toure this season in the Champions League. This was a European performance built on resolve, grit and hard work. At times this year, Toure and City have looked anything like a match.

Lampard has been a revelation this year since signing on loan from New York City FC, but the performances of someone like Milner should not be overlooked, too. The Englishman consistently impressed, and he has almost become the lynchpin of City's midfield, just like Toure once was.

Throw Fernando into the mix, and you have a midfield three that are both comfortable at keeping possession and willing to sit back and absorb play, too. That allows the likes of Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas out wide to ably support Sergio Aguero, who seems to find the net whenever he strikes the ball.

Without Toure, City looked like much more of a unit in midfield, rather than a side who immediately look to Toure for something magical to happen. That allows the talent of players like Milner and Navas (who himself was excellent) to come to the fore.

That's not to say Toure has become a bad player; far from it, in fact. But when you run the rule over City's performances with and without Toure this year, you begin to wonder whether City could part ways with the Ivorian sooner rather than later.

If City begin to perform without Toure in the league as well as in Europe, serious questions may well be asked about whether the club decide to part company with their star midfielder.

At 31, though, the window of opportunity for City to cash in on him is rapidly closing. If Manuel Pellegrini begins to see that City can indeed cope without Toure, his days at City may begin to be numbered.