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(SportsNetwork.com) - Last season Yaya Toure was one of the most indispensable players in the English Premier League as he helped lead Manchester City to a second league title in three years.

But so far this term Toure has done little more than serve as a distraction off the field while looking disinterested and lazy on it. And it might be time for manager Manuel Pellegrini to take a look at what exactly Toure is contributing to the team.

Toure was one of the few constants for City last season as star striker Sergio Aguero and captain Vincent Kompany battled injuries, while forward Alvaro Negredo endured a terrible slump over the second half of the campaign.

It was Toure's production game after game that held things together for Pellegrini's side as he scored 20 goals and chipped in nine assists while serving as a rock in midfield.

The Ivory Coast international scored from the penalty spot, on free kicks, and made rampaging runs from a deep position in midfield to help kill off games.

Yet this season he is a shadow of that player, and it is putting extra strain on the rest of the team.

To be fair, Toure had to deal with a difficult situation over the summer as his younger brother, Ibrahim Toure, passed away on June 19 at the age of 28 following a battle with cancer.

During that time, Yaya was in Brazil playing at the World Cup, and he learned of his brother's death just a few hours after his team's 2-1 defeat to Colombia.

It isn't uncommon for a star player to endure a slow start to the season following a summer playing at the World Cup, but the current situation concerning Toure appears to be more about his unrest with the club.

Toure turned 31 in May and reportedly felt disrespected by City when officials didn't shake his hand and wish him a happy birthday.

From there, things spiraled into an odd mess of tweets concerning Toure's happiness, or lack thereof, and what his future at the club might hold.

There were rumors in August that Toure might leave City before the end of the summer transfer window because of his unhappiness, but now that he has stayed, it is time for him to start producing.

In five league games this season Toure has yet to score a goal or record an assist, and he has been a liability in defense.

City has fallen five points back of leaders Chelsea in the Premier League through six games, and the team has managed to collect just one point from two matches in the Champions League.

A 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich is certainly not a result to be embarrassed about, but Toure's poor play in that match was one of the chief talking points at the final whistle.

And he did little to change opinions with Tuesday's effort against Roma in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

Toure's game has always been predicated on power and positioning more than intricate footwork. But on Tuesday he continued to look sloppy in the final third, making careless giveaways to bring an end to some promising attacking moves..

Defensively, Toure had little to offer as well, forcing midfield partner Fernandinho to do the work of two players as he battled a Roma side that had greater numbers in the middle of the field.

After Tuesday's draw City has four matches to turn things around in Europe, and it won't be easy as Pellegrini's team must still make trips to Moscow and Rome while hosting Bayern.

With an in-form Toure, those games become much more manageable, and City's prospects of overcoming a poor start in the group stage greatly increase.

However, if Toure fails to rediscover his play from last season and continues to be a liability in midfield, Pellegrini will have to ask himself how much longer he can continue to allow Toure to bring his team down.