Manchester City star Yaya Toure is confident his side can bounce back from the disappointment of last season after their strong start to the campaign.

The Ivorian netted twice as City claimed a 3-0 win away at West Brom on Monday and seemed to have rediscovered some of his spark after losing form last term.

Despite still netting 12 goals in all competitions, Toure’s lethargic performances were seen as symptomatic of a City team who lost their way during the middle part of the season before regaining their momentum and finishing second.

However, on Monday they appeared to play with their previous verve, with new signing Raheem Sterling adding extra pace to their attack.

This gave Toure more space to thrive and his two goals in the first half all but sealed the result before the interval.

City have found themselves in this position before, as having lifted the Premier League in 2011-12, they failed to defend their title the following season only to top the standings 12 months later.

The 32-year-old believes the criticism of both him and his team last term was unnecessary and is confident they can once again prove their doubters wrong.

“I’ve always been there,” Toure said. “People have to understand football is not talking about one player, it’s about the team. I hope this year is going to be fine for us.

“The important thing is we have a target. That is to bounce back like we did two seasons ago.”

City are currently the 2.75 favourites to win the title, with reigning champions Chelsea their nearest rivals at 3.00.

The pair meet on Sunday at the Etihad, with the hosts the 2.10 favourites to win, the draw at 3.40 and the Blues available at 3.60.