A great playing career does not automatically mean you have what it takes to be a great coach, and if Yaya Touré’s early steps are anything to go by, his managerial career could be over before it has truly begun. After the 0–4 away defeat to LASK, his Slovan are rooted to the bottom of the Champions League table and, worst of all, can consider themselves lucky to have conceded “only” 17 goals in four rounds. And the blame? Well, of course, the coach’s. It is not every day that criticism is this harsh. Touré is not being spared by his own players, either.Yaya Toure is the first manager to lose each of his first four Champions League games by 3+ goals. 🤕 https://t.co/hOPG4IYIIg— Flashscore.com (@Flashscorecom) November 4, 2026 Kevin Wimmer openly criticised his boss for changing the formation and playing with three centre-backs against LASK — all in an attempt to shore up the defence, which clearly failed — while leaving three regular starters, Peter Pokorný, Kenan Bajrić and Tigran Barseghyan, on the bench.“Today was the first time we tried playing with five at the back. We had never even practised it. It was a huge risk,” said Wimmer, one of the three centre-backs.Yaya Toure is in the African history books againWimmer was particularly unhappy with the makeshift line-up, put together on the grounds that some players needed a rest ahead of the league match against bottom side Trenčín.“Four regular first-team players were sitting on the bench. For some reason, the focus is on the domestic league, because we are currently second, but only four points behind the leaders. I don’t understand these rotations, especially with the international break coming up. We qualify for the Champions League, then come to Linz and don’t even try to play. It’s extremely frustrating.”Toure: 'Pep is not a man but a snake'Clearly so frustrating that Wimmer also turned on the board, accusing it of doing a poor job in the transfer market and saying Slovan are now weaker than they were last season. They are certainly not up to the standard of the Champions League. While the 1–6 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain might have been expected, Slovan should at least have shown something against Stuttgart (0–3), Roma (0–4) or now LASK. They were not competitive in any of those matches and have consequently become record-holders with 14 consecutive defeats in the Champions League. They have broken the unwanted record held by Marseille, who lost every match in Europe’s elite competition from 2012 to 2020 — 13 in total.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Slovan last won a Champions League match back in September 1992, when they beat Ferencváros before Milan eliminated them with two wins. They then disappeared from the big stage for 32 years, only to lose all eight matches in the 2024/25 season. Touré himself has become the first coach to lose each of his first four Champions League matches by at least three goals. Naturally, he is now under heavy fire — intensified by a decidedly unfriendly comment from LASK coach Dietmar Kühbauer.“We knew Slovan had huge problems defensively and, to be honest, it was no different this time. Our players’ pace was the worst possible weapon against an opponent that doesn’t know how to defend… It could have been an even more convincing win than 4–0. The difference in quality was enormous.”##NAJAVA_MECA_68844##Slovan conceded their first and third goals from set pieces, and the second from a free kick just outside the penalty area. It was all over by half-time. There is also evidence that Touré is in danger of losing the dressing room completely: Ukrainian defensive midfielder Danylo Ignatenko has been dropped from the squad for indiscipline. Although nobody knows exactly why…“The player’s behaviour was unacceptable, and we have to be professionals. We are paid to do this, and when we are paid, we have to work and respect our teammates, the fans and the whole club. Otherwise, we don’t have the right environment, and that comes at a cost. I made mistakes as a player too, but they were minor things. For example, I was two kilograms overweight — I’ll say it openly. I didn’t play for three months because of that… A player always has to set an example, and he would certainly complain to the club if he found even a few euros missing from his account at the end of the month. But since we pay you properly, you have to train properly, be ready and respect your teammates” said Toure. But it is a big question how much longer they will tolerate him in Bratislava.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEMatchday 4Wednesday20.45: (12.0) AEK Athens (7.50) Real Madrid (1.22)20.45: (5.40) Fenerbahce (5.00) Liverpool (1.52)23.00: (1.70) Borussia Dortmund (4.20) Real Betis (4.30)23.00: (3.00) Lens (4.00) Como (2.15)23.00: (2.10) PSV (4.20) Club Brugge (2.95)23.00: (1.97) Porto (3.80) Napoli (3.50)23.00: (4.90) RB Leipzig (5.20) Manchester City (1.57)23.00: (11.0) Slavia Prague (6.25) Arsenal (1.25)23.00: (1.42) Viking (5.00) Sabah Baku (6.25)***odds are subject to change***