Pablo Zabaleta defends Manuel Pellegrini after Man City’s trophyless campaign

Alam Khan - Reporter 12:36 28/04/2015
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  • Stand by your manager: Pablo Zabaleta has come out in support of Pellegrini.

    Pablo Zabaleta says Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini “deserves more respect” and should not take sole blame for a season that has been deemed a “disaster”.

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    After winning the Premier League and League Cup, the Etihad outfit will finish this campaign trophy-less – the first time since 2010.

    Zabaleta accepts an inquest will be held in the summer over what went wrong, with the future of Pellegrini and several players under scrutiny.

    And the full-back said: “We must be honest with ourselves and recognise that it was not our best season. But sometimes football is like that.

    “You look at Liverpool, Arsenal, they are also great teams and they’ve not won that many trophies in the last few years.

    "But at City it seems one disappointing season is like a disaster. Maybe it’s because we’ve won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

    “Now it seems like, because we have not won something, it’s a disaster and we have to change seven or eight players, the manager – that’s what people say.

    “The manager deserves more respect from everyone. He came last season, he won the league and the League Cup.

    “We cannot blame just the manager for this moment. Also individual players have not been great in the whole season.

    "Everyone is responsible. But listen, we have to wait until the end of the season. Now is not the time to be thinking about what went wrong, it’s just the time to finish as good as we can.

    “Then at the end of the season the right people will analyse what went wrong, the people responsible in every part of the club will decide what is best for the future.”

    With Chelsea set to dethrone them as champions, City are fighting for second.

    They are level on points with Arsenal, who have a match in hand. Manchester United are two adrift in fourth.

    While it would give their fans bragging rights to finish above rivals United, Zabaleta said that was no longer the main objective.

    “We know it is special for the fans as to who finishes on top. That’s normal and it is special for the players too,” he added.

    “But, for us now, finishing above United is not enough. We play to win trophies here now, that is the point.

    “We haven’t been consistent. Chelsea, without playing well or attractive football, they’ve just kept winning games. They’ve had that consistency and sometimes that’s all you need.”

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