“Give me time and you will see,” Yaya Touré told Foot Mercato after AS Roma beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on 20 October 2026. The same interview carried his sharper line about his side: they were passive, not united and lacking focus for 90 minutes.

Touré's criticism after the 4-0 loss

Touré, who has been in charge for four months, said the performance went beyond the scoreline. “We were passive. At this level, that kind of mistake costs very dearly. We are not united. We do not stay focused for 90 minutes. We must fight and help each other more,” he told Foot Mercato, in comments translated from French.

He also said, “I can't grab them, shake them, hit them or kick them.” That line is less a soundbite than a sign of how much the defeat irritated him. Y. Touré was speaking after another rough European night, with Slovan Bratislava still looking short on control and cohesion.

Slovan Bratislava's Champions League start

The numbers match the mood. Slovan have lost all three Champions League matches, scored one goal and conceded 13. Against that backdrop, Touré’s call for patience is understandable, even if the frustration is obvious.

AS Roma did their part too. They scored four times, with Mario Hermoso, Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Donyell Malen all involved in a convincing win. Pellegrini was substituted in the 51st minute because of a muscle problem, which added a small injury concern for Roma on an otherwise comfortable European night.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →