MANCHESTER -- Manuel Pellegrini insists criticism of Yaya Toure is unfair and says he has no problems with the midfielder's attitude and commitment for Manchester City.
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The Ivory Coast international was condemned for his efforts during City's 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday with former England midfielder Paul Scholes suggesting Pellegrini may have to omit him for tough Champions League games.
Others also blamed Toure for hugging and talking with Bayern manager Pep Guardiola -- his former coach at Barcelona -- immediately after the final whistle, just minutes after City conceded the vital last-gasp goal from Jerome Boateng.
But though Toure -- who scored 24 times during the 2013-14 campaign -- is yet to find the same form as last season, Pellegrini is adamant the 31-year-old is still doing his utmost for the team.
"Yaya always has commitment with the team and the squad and with his mates, and he doesn't have any problems about that," he said in his pregame news conference on Friday ahead of Sunday's clash with Premier League table-toppers Chelsea,
"I don't think it is fair to criticise what Yaya did in the last game. My way of thinking, normally when we win or lose it is because all the team did well or bad. Everyone knows which is his best performance [level] and we are trying to reach that. I don't agree Yaya has all the responsibility for the game we played."
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was in excellent form in the Allianz Arena but Pellegrini claimed that, as with Toure, he preferred to focus on the side as a whole, rather than any one performer.
"I don't analyse individual performance with the press," he said. "I always talk with the players in the way I think they do it. All of you saw that Joe played a very good game. That is why he is No. 1 with England but I repeat I prefer to talk about the team."
FA chairman Greg Dyke has plans to reduce the number of non-EU players in English football by 50 percent, but Pellegrini says he does not agree with those plans.
"I think that the clubs have to play with the best players," he added. "It doesn't matter the nationality."