Yaya Toure says he feels like 20 again as he looks to lead Manchester City to more success this season.
– EPL Fans’ Top 5: John Stones top of the pile
– Rate Players, share and follow the Rankings
– Phil Ball: No cannon fodder for Real Madrid
After a summer without a major tournament, the midfielder, 32, has already shown signs of the imposing and impressive displays that saw him inspire the club to Premier League and League Cup success in 2014.
Despite a 2-1 loss to West Ham on Saturday, City are top after five wins from six games and start their League Cup challenge tonight with a third-round trip to Sunderland – the side they beat in the final 18 months ago with Toure on target.
And, while boss Manuel Pellegrini may consider resting the Ivorian, he said: “The League Cup is very important, I’m always there for those games.
“I don’t care about rest. For me, until I get a serious injury, Toure is fit and wants to play. I hope I play against Sunderland. Why rested? I look younger and I want to play more.
“I feel like I’m 20 years old because what this club has done for me, the fans, until the last minute I want to fight for this club.
“They deserve that. We have a lot of targets this year and, inshallah, we will see how we end this season.”
Among those targets is the league title and Toure is not concerned by the Hammers setback that ended their record 11-match winning run – and followed on from the Champions League loss to Juventus.
With a domestic league getting stronger each season, he does not believe anyone will emulate Arsenal’s unbeaten 2004 campaign let alone winning every match.
“The Premier League is always improving and you see how the big clubs invest in players for a lot of money and this sequence in football, the Invincibles, it will never happen again in the Premier League,” said Toure.
“All the teams are spending money, buying big players, like West Ham, even Leicester, and Stoke spending on players from Barcelona.
“You can understand how the Premier League is so competitive and you are not surprised to see Chelsea losing at home to Crystal Palace. Everyone can beat anyone, definitely.
“I’m a competitor and in football it’s all about being a competitor and in 38 games you will not see 38 wins, it’s impossible in the Premier League. In Spain, La Liga, yes, and the French Ligue 1, maybe yes, but the Premier League, no. You will never see that.
“We want to carry on to be unbeatable, but now we have to deal with this defeat against West Ham. We have fantastic players in the dressing room and we are going to come back, that’s for sure. What’s important is the last game of the season and whether you lift the trophy, or have lifted a couple of trophies. That’s what matters for me.”
Boss Pellegrini has demanded City convert possession and chances into more goals, and striker Sergio Aguero is under scrutiny after a five-game run without scoring.
But Toure added: “Definitely he will come back. It’s just about one goal with Sergio. He was injured and now he is back and it’s not easy.”
