Vincent Kompany has leapt to the defence of his under-fire teammate Yaya Toure following criticism of the midfielder's performances in Manchester City's Champions League campaign so far.
City have only taken one point from their first two games in Europe this season, with Toure struggling during their opening 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
The 31-year-old and Fernandinho were outnumbered in the midfield by Roma in Tuesday's 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium, which leaves their qualification hopes in the balance.
Toure has scored once this season -- a penalty against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup -- after netting 24 times for City in the 2013-14 campaign, but captain Kompany says City have faced a tough start.
"[Toure] has done so much for this club, he's always played brilliantly," Kompany told reporters. "For me he's always an important player -- when he does well the team does well. We've had a tough start because we've played tough teams -- you can't deny that."
Toure's future at City was in doubt at the end of last season when his agent claimed the club had failed to celebrate his birthday, and then the former Barcelona player said the Premier League champions had refused to grant him compassionate leave.
He then resolved to stay at the Etihad Stadium, and manager Manuel Pellegrini believes his early-season struggles may be attributable to the death of his younger brother, Ibrahim.