Pep Guardiola gives vague reason for Yaya Toure's omission from Manchester City's Champions League opener
The Ivorian has not travelled with the City squad to face Feyenoord
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Your support makes all the difference.Yaya Toure will not take part in Manchester City’s opening Champions League group stage clash with Feyenoord on Wednesday night.
The Ivorian midfielder has not travelled with the squad to the Netherlands and has been dropped for “sporting reasons” according to Pep Guardiola.
That vague summation was as far as the Catalan manager would go when explaining the player’s situation, however.
"It's a sporting decision," Guardiola told reporters.
"He was so important last season - six players finished their contract and he was the only one who stayed because he's a special player.
"But the decision is he didn't play the last game [against Liverpool], and today he is not in the squad and he knows the reason why."
Toure did not play for large parts of last season after a falling out with Guardiola but played an important role in the second half of the campaign once the pair had mended a seemingly fraught relationship.
Asked whether the 34-year-old could expect an extended stay at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola said: "Hopefully - it depends on the player.
"I'm always happy, but of course I demand as much as possible. I want more - not just from Yaya, I want more from everyone."
Guardiola also rubbished claims by rival Jose Mourinho that English clubs are at a disadvantage in the Champions League.
The Manchester United manager argued that the Premier League is more challenging than other leading leagues, which means teams on the continent can afford to rest players throughout the season and keep them fresh for the closing stages of Europe’s elite competition.
“We have to admit that there are differences in relation to other countries,” Mourinho said.
“Real Madrid last year played the last month in La Liga with a second team. They could do it. They arrived in the Champions League final with a fresh team.
“Juventus, because they were champions in Italy three months in advance, they could play the last month with a second team.
“English teams normally that's impossible, because the competition goes very strong until the end.”
But Guardiola – who has managed in Spain and Germany – disagrees with his old nemesis, arguing that each manager must take responsibility for his team’s failings.
“I cannot speak for the other four teams in the Champions League,” Guardiola told reporters.
“[But] if we don’t win or don’t make a good performance, it will be a failure.
“I learned from the beginning - I can accept and handle that.”
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