Yaya Toure has told Marca that Jose Mourinho should stop speaking to the press about other clubs and start showing Manchester City more respect.
The Chelsea manager has piling the pressure on City in the Premier
League title race, claiming repeatedly that the crown is already theirs
to lose, but Toure is not convinced.
"I think (Mourinho) talks more than before, perhaps because the English
press likes it," City's former Barcelona midfielder said following the
two club’s Champions League meeting on Wednesday.
"He is a coach and he must give respect a little bit. He is always
talking about everyone and that is not the correct way. That is why
Barcelona always beat Madrid when Mourinho was here."
Manuel Pellegrini’s men will lead the Premier League if they win all
their games, but have ground to make up to leaders having played three
games fewer due to domestic cup fixtures.
The Chilean coach and Mourinho have clashed several times this season as their sides fight it out for the title.
The Portuguese has accused City of being "lucky" with key refereeing
decisions going in their favour, highlighted the strength and cost of
their squad.
Mourinho has also criticised the FA
for not charging Toure with violent conduct after he kicked out at
Norwich striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel last month, and the City player
has clearly not forgotten the added bitterness with Barcelona the
manager brought when he managed Real Madrid.
Former Blaugrana star Toure suggested Mourinho would have won
more silverware than his solitary La Liga title and Copa del Rey success
in his time at Real Madrid had he curbed his habit of speaking out.
After being eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League by Wigan
and Barcelona respectively, City face trips to Liverpool, Manchester
United, Arsenal and Everton with added pressure on them to win the
title.
But Toure rejects Mourinho's claim that City are title favourites. "Not
at all," he said. "Chelsea are nine points ahead. Yes, we have three
games in hand but we could lose all three of them. Chelsea, for me, are
the favourites."
Pellegrini's assertion that City could win an unprecedented Quadruple
is now a distant memory, but Toure insists the club's season will not be
a failure even if they miss out on winning another trophy after
triumphing in the Capital One Cup against Sunderland.
Asked if City's season would be a failure if they didn't win another
trophy, Toure said: "Why? Why would it be? We have already won a cup.
You cannot say that. Football is a competition - only one team can win
each of the trophies.
"Don't say we'd be failures when we've won something already. Now we
want to win more but teams are desperate to beat us, so it's always
tough. Teams are very motivated against us. You have to understand we
are not a machine."
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