Wigan Athletic players have my 'licence to play' - Kolo

Latics were defeated 2-1 by Sheffield United on Monday night in Toure's first home game in charge.

Both of the Blades goals came in the 'avoidable' category, with several of the Latics players looking uncomfortable - individually and collectively - as they tried to play the ball out from the back.

Toure, though, is looking at the bigger picture, and called for patience as he tries to oversee the transformation in philosophy.

"It is the process we are going through," he said.

"Of course players will make mistakes, but I give them the licence to play.

"This is the style of play that the club wants to play, that's why they brought me here, that's what we're going to do.

"Of course we have to try to avoid the bad passes we saw, giving the ball away cheaply, and the mistakes.

"But I want them to play, and I will support them trying to play."

Latics got off to the worst possible start when an unmarked John Egan headed the Blades in front inside eight minutes.

Billy Sharp doubled the lead 11 minutes after the restart after Latics coughed up cheap possession on the edge of their own box.

And although Nathan Broadhead pulled one back, Latics were unable to rescue the situation.," Toure added.

"You know when you play against Sheffield United, they are really good at set-pieces, so the first goal, you know what is coming.

"The second goal, we gave it to them, and that was poor from us really.

"We shouldn't have given the ball away, and we should have defended better, been a bit tighter with the shot there."

The result means Latics will spend Christmas Day in the bottom three of the Championship.

They lie second-bottom, two points adrift of fourth-bottom Hull City, ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Middlesbrough.

Latics then host Sunderland at the DW on December 29 in their final match of another incredibly eventful 12 months.