Arsenal's king of cool Toure still does his homework

Lionel Messi is causing mayhem on one side, Francesco Totti is tearing it up on the other.

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Arsenal's king of cool, the unflappable defender with the worldclass recovery tackle, is doing his homework on the cream of Europe.

Tuning in, he calls it, while he prepares for the biggest game in the Premier League so far this season.

"I don't watch movies, I just watch football," he said. "I watch all the games. English games, Barcelona, Roma, Champions League.

"I like Totti, I like what he does. Messi is doing well. It is amazing to watch him play — it is like watching Maradona."

Toure has been entranced by the Argentina striker, but Barcelona — and his brother YaYa — are for another time.

Manchester United are next on the menu for the League leaders and the Arsenal defender is picking his way around the most feared forward line in Europe.

Nani, Anderson and Saha are all in the mix. The eyebrows are raised, there is a knowing nod of the head and then Toure really starts to take notice: Rooney, Ronaldo, Giggs and Tevez are in the starting line up.

"They are a brilliant team and they have so many attacking players," he concedes. "Wow."

It is followed by a sharp intake of breath and then Toure, Arsenal's most consistent player over the past three years, begins to make some sense of it all.

"It is just one game in a season — a game we must win — but it is really stressful for the players and the fans.

"We know that they are such a good team. In some Premier League games, we go into them thinking 'Yeah, we're gonna win this', but when you are playing Manchester United it is different.

"We are the two top teams at the moment. Whoever comes into the game in form will win it. It is that simple.

"The way we play is amazing and we enjoy the way we play. It will be a tight game, but it will be an attacking game."

He is convinced that neither team will sacrifice their attacking principles today — and why should they?

The two best teams in the Premier League have the perfect platform — a lunchtime kick-off satisfies the Asian TV market — to showcase their skills to the rest of the world.

Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb, Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Adebayor are Arsenal's potential match-winners, but Toure's tidy defensive work can be just as impressive.

There was a time when Wenger wanted him to play in central midfield and plough his way past the opposition, but Toure is more disciplined when he plays in the middle of Arsenal's back line.

He and Gallas have formed an almost impregnable partnership. "I can play anywhere, but my best position is at the back," he added.

"I have the experience there and I know exactly what can happen at any moment.

"When we play well and we score, sometimes we look at the players involved in the move and think 'that was amazing'.

"When I play in the centre of midfield, I try to play a bit too much. At the back, I am more controlled."

He is certainly a man in control. The game has given him a good life and he is well aware that the Premier League is a privileged place.

Toure, 26, was one of four Arsenal players nominated to take part in the Great African Journey at Holloway School this week, a community project raising funds for educational and training resources in African countries.

The Ivory Coast international was lapping it up.

Typically, there was no sign of nerves when he was asked to play the bongo drums — although Kolo does need to work on that side of his game — in front of 100 or so dewy-eyed schoolchildren involved with the Link project.

At one point, as he attempted to memorise the words to one of the charity's songs — Poverty and HIV, Time to take Responsibility — he urged Emmanuel Adebayor to start dancing.

If only they had some rhythm, they might be on to something. "I am lucky because I came from a normal background in the Ivory Coast, but others are not quite as fortunate," he added.

"It's fantastic for the kids to get involved in a project like this. They are the future and you have to do something for them.

"There are some poor people in my country and being with children again reminds me of being back at home."

Toure's attitude towards the event was an illustration of the changing tides in the Premier League.

Arsenal's players take their responsibilities towards the community very seriously and Toure made the most of the time he spent with the children on Thursday.

He is doing his bit off the pitch, but Arsenal will need another measured performance from the centre half this afternoon.

Others will need to be on their game, but Toure knows the man who makes Arsenal tick. "Definitely Cesc Fabregas," he said without hesitation.

"What he is doing for the club at the moment is great. He has scored nine goals so far this season — some big goals in important games — and he has been the difference.

"In terms of form, I don't see anyone else playing as well as him in the rest of Europe."

What about Toure? "That's not for me to say." Maybe not. But someone should.