Player Focus: How City Could Replace & Cope Without Yaya Touré

It's been a disappointing season for Yaya Touré, of that there is no doubt. There seems to have been confusion since the start of the year as to whether City can do without him, with his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations in January leading most to suggest that they are just not the same in his absence.

A few months down the line, however, the calls have been for Touré to be dropped by Manuel Pellegrini due to a perceived lack of desire, and there's little question that the Ivorian's work ethic has diminished this year. That could, naturally, be attributed to the fact that the former Barcelona man is now 31 but, like last season, there are still occasions when Touré has decided to turn it on.

Those occasions have certainly been less frequent this time around, and it's the fact that Touré clearly has it within himself to step up a gear in games that has perhaps become most frustrating, even to the neutrals who so admired his dynamic displays last season.

It's often evident that there is more in his considerable tank - no player has a higher average rating over the final 15 minutes of matches this season (6.50) - but it takes him too long to reach those heights at times. It's not unusual that a player might take time to get his footing in a game but, in general, for the closing stages to be your finest 15-minute period in a match by some distance hints towards the fact that Touré could be giving more beforehand.

Speculation is now rife once more that Touré's future beyond this season lies away from the Etihad, after the midfielder was heavily tipped to move on following birthday cake gate last summer. Roberto Mancini's Inter seem to be his greatest admirers for now, however bizarre a move may seem given the Milan club's plight in recent years.

Regardless of the fact that Touré has failed to live up to his figures from last season - having a direct hand in just 9 league goals thus far compared to a massive 29 in 2013/14 - replacing the Ivorian will be some task, and one would imagine that City must get it right after the failings of the signings made over the past year.

The dilemma for the club, and likely what is to be a new manager next season, is deciding whether or not to try and replace Touré's presence in a like-for-like manner. In truth that would be near impossible. There are so few players around that are similar to the 31-year old, but perhaps, given the criticism of the City vice-captain, something a little different is required.

Arguably the closest player you could get to Yaya Touré in his pomp nowadays would be Paul Pogba, whose agent has suggested that Juventus may yet have to sell the Frenchman. The 22-year old has been more heavily linked with a return to United or a move to Chelsea but if he were available City would no doubt be among those showing an interest, and for good reason.

The midfielder has the highest WhoScored.com rating (7.78) of any player in Serie A this season, with a direct hand in 9 goals - the same as Touré - but from fewer appearances (22). More willing to get stuck into tackles (2.5 per game), Pogba still carries a great threat going forward, with superb averages of 2 shots, 1.5 key passes and 3 successful dribbles per game all capable of competing with Touré's figures. Both players have 6 statistically calculated strengths and with 4 of those matching (long shots, dribbling, through balls and concentration), if City want a player of Touré's style and physicality, Pogba is arguably the closest they could find.

The youngster would no doubt demand one of the highest fees in Europe should he be on the move though, so if money is an issue, which it may well be given FFP regulations, it might not be possible to have your pick of the bunch. There may well be a couple of other options out of Italy that would prove more cost effective.

Roma's Miralem Pjanic is another midfielder thought to be highly sought-after and while he is very different to Touré, the Bosnian still possesses the qualities that City would need to replace should the latter leave the club.

Certainly more of a playmaker-type than Touré, Pjanic has laid on 6 goals this season, scoring 4 himself, and is perhaps more reliable in terms of keeping his position and shape in a midfield pairing. The 25-year old is at a good age in terms of making the next step in his career and has the work rate that City perhaps miss at times when Touré is not fully focused, averaging 1.5 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.

Arguably moving even further away from the Touré mould, if it is indeed Inter that make a move for the City man this summer the reigning Premier League champions may be well advised in seeing what the Milan club have to offer themselves. Mateo Kovacic has often been a bright light in a bleak period at the club, despite not always holding down a regular spot in the team - he is still only 20 - but has bags of potential.

While he is not of the same build as Touré - far from it - Kovacic actually has a number of the same qualities that have made the City midfielder such a success in England. Indeed, the young Croatian has 5 statistical strengths according to WhoScored.com and all 5 appear among the 6 that Touré has garnered over the past two seasons. He tends to carry the ball forward more often than Touré and fires off considerably fewer shots at goal but you'll do well to find a player whose statistics from this season are a closer match to those of the Ivory Coast international.

Any potential transfer targets will of course depend on who will be in charge of the club next season and with Jurgen Klopp among the frontrunners following his resignation at Dortmund come the end of the season - however unlikely a fit it might be - the German may well be keen to tempt some of his current players to follow him, wherever he may end up this summer.

If that place is Manchester and a new midfielder is indeed on the agenda then he may look into the option of signing Ilkay Gündogan, now fully fit after a serious back injury. The midfielder is one of the more solid 'all rounders' playing right now and can fulfil the box-to-box role that Touré was formerly able to adopt. With strengths of passing, concentration and dribbling the 24-year old is perhaps the least adventurous of the options here but his statistics are impressive across the board and Gündogan is used to following orders to a T under Klopp, with the same perhaps not able to be said of City's middle man.

It's clear that replacing Yaya Touré at Manchester City would be an unenviable task but perhaps it's a necessary one with this ageing side in need of fresh impetus. The likes of Pogba, Pjanic, Kovacic and Gündogan may not be capable of replicating what Touré has achieved at the Etihad but each bring their own qualities that may well inspire a change that seems to be needed if City are to progress at home and abroad. All four are capable of playing in deep or advanced roles in midfield and could spring new life into a midfield that has looked laboured all too often this season.

Should City let Touré leave the club this summer and if so who should they be targetting as a replacement? Let us know in the comments below