Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points

#2 Is it the end of Yaya Toure as we have known him?

Yaya Toure along with his teammates going off the pitch after the match was over

Yaya Toure, since he has burst on the scene, has been one of the finest midfielders of the world. He combined grace and tenacity with brute strength and explosive power like no other did.

His burst of pace from deep often took him forward like a raging storm, an immovable force. His physique could scare the daylights out of the mightiest of men. Yet whenever, he had the ball at his feet he was gracious with it, caressing it and pinging it across every blade of grass on the field.

Add to that his inexhaustive engine, his stamina. He could run for days. One moment, he would be on the edge of his own box blocking a well-hit shot and the very next moment, you would find him unleashing a thunderbolt of a strike from the edge of the oppositions penalty area.

However, if anything this match has shown us, it is that Yaya Toure is no more the same player he was in his prime. He has lost a yard or two of pace and looks way too slow amidst the hustle and bustle of modern football.

His intelligence on the ball and vision off it are still intact, but his slowness allows him to be bypassed quite easily in the midfield and it was very much on show tonight as the Shakhtar players ghosted past him with ease.

It's quite understandable since he is 34, but those who have watched him at his prime certainly miss him and thank him for the innumerable joys the big Ivorian has given them.