Toure sees ‘time to change’ at Manchester City as Guardiola fails to deliver Champions League glory

Yaya Toure believes questions should be asked of Pep Guardiola on the back of another Champions League failure by Manchester City, with the Blues legend suggesting it may be “time to change”.

A highly-decorated Catalan coach was appointed in 2016 with the intention of delivering long-awaited European glory to the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola had previously conquered the continent at Barcelona, but has been unable to replicate that success at Bayern Munich or City.

Domestic silverware has continued to roll in, with title triumphs enjoyed in Germany and England.

It is, however, nine years since Guardiola last hoisted aloft the Champions League trophy, with his current employers suffering a surprise quarter-final defeat to Lyon in 2020.

Toure feels pressure should be put on those calling the shots after seeing the Blues fall short once more, with it easy to argue that changes in approach and personnel may be required.

The legendary Ivorian, who spent eight years with City between 2010 and 2018, told Football Daily: “The manager has been signed for that, just to bring this trophy and when you see Liverpool maybe and other clubs who [have won it] without doing a lot of work in the transfer market, it's quite strange and disappointing.

“Of course, he's been brought to the club to get a massive trophy for them and at the moment it's not been delivered in the way they want.

“Everyone knows Pep is a great manager but at the moment when things are not going their way, sometimes it's the time to change the way they do things. We'll see.”

Toure knows all about Guardiola’s methods having worked under a demanding coach at Barcelona and City. The pair did not always see eye to eye, with Toure having gone as far as to claim that Guardiola’s standing as one of the finest coaches of all time is “a myth”.

He said in 2018: “Pep likes to dominate and wants to have obedient players who lick his hands. I do not like this kind of relationship. I respect my coach but I am not his thing. 

“Like all players I have bickered with my coaches, but at a certain point men who do not understand each other reconcile. This is not possible with Pep, who is very rigid.

“The other players will never admit it publicly but some have already told me that they ended up hating him. Because he manipulates and plays a lot with your head.

“We always looked at each other weirdly. He was spinning around me without saying anything, watching me, gauging me but not talking to me. Yet he knows that I speak Catalan, Spanish and English. It should be enough to communicate. 

“Apparently no. Every time we passed each other, he seemed embarrassed. As if I made him a little self-conscious. As if, also, he had understood that I knew him perfectly.”