• Premier League

Pellegrini refuses to blame Toure absence

The influence of Yaya Toure was again missed as Manchester City were held to a late draw by relegation battlers Hull on Saturday.

City slipped seven points behind leaders Chelsea and have now failed to win in six Premier League games without the midfielder, who is still at the African Nations Cup with finalists Ivory Coast, this season.

Yaya Toure has been in imperious form for Ivory Coast in Equatorial Guinea © Getty Images

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However, manager Manuel Pellegrini says that it is not just about Toure, who is not expected to be available for Wednesday's trip to Stoke either.

"I always have the same answer, you can't have any doubt how important Yaya Toure is for us," he said. "But we feel that every game without Yaya we could win. It is not just about one player.

"We must be a creative team and we must play faster in the last 25 metres against teams who defend with men behind the ball. I think there is more of a problem than one individual player."

Pellegrini did admit that City were struggling to get into goal-scoring situations though, and said his team were lacking the creativity to break through teams like Hull.

"I think we tried always to find the space but we couldn't. We have a lack of ideas," he told BBC Sport. "If you see the team you don't see that we are tired or that we are not fighting; we run a lot and have a lot of possession.

"We really played and I think the team has order and spirit but we don't have the creative players in this moment to create the space and it is very difficult against a team like Hull, who defend very well.

"With the ball, we are not creating the space and dangerous situations in their box."

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