Former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has insisted that Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure will still face major scrutiny despite his good start to the new season.
The 32-year-old starred as he scored two first-half goals to help his side beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0, and manager Manuel Pellegrini later claimed that he is back to his best.
However, Carragher believes that it is his defensive duty which brings criticism, and has challenged him to prove his doubters wrong.
He told Sky Sports News: "That criticism could still come again, because it's not in games like this. It's games where he's got to do a defensive job. The system looks like [Raheem] Sterling on the left, [David] Silva off the front and Yaya Toure will play central midfield.
"The power and pace he shows going forward, he doesn't show it going back. I've said it time and time again, he's like a sprinter going forward, and a marathon runner coming back. He doesn't want to come back. And that'll be the problem for him at the weekend. In those big games can he be trusted to play in the two?
"He was fantastic tonight, but over the course of the season in those big games, Champions League games, that's where the criticism will come from. Not in terms of going forward, because he's still as good as anyone."
City face Chelsea on Sunday.
Charlie Bennett
