Pablo Zabaleta - 2016/17 performances

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Zin is right on this and Merlin, Mother time waits for no man but both look much slimmer and fitter this season, as does the whole squad and are not the finished players a few thought they where, myself included i will add.

Biggest shock for many on here will be Vinny imo as the form of both Stones and Otamendi and the sudden re birth of AK is going to make it really hard for him to come back in and reclaim his spot, even if he does stay fit.
 
Paul Lake's Left Knee said:
Right in your own little world... as per

Age effects different players at different rates, you seem to think that 30 is the end for all... we should have had Stony and Oakie put down decades ago if thats the case.
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My world is where it's at.... i didn't realise those two fogies were prem footballers..

And the modern player is indeed declining much quicker due to the demands of the game!!
 
Zin 'messiah' Zimmer said:
My world is where it's at.... i didn't realise those two fogies were prem footballers..

And the modern player is indeed declining much quicker due to the demands of the game!!
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I think a player like Zaba who is high energy and intensity will feel the effects of age faster than someone like little Dave, who with his style should be able to play into his mid thirties, maybe not in the PL mind. Then of course there is physiology that players mature at different rates and therefore go over the hill at different rates, some are bearded and fully mature at 16 and others still dont have to shave at 20. Horses for courses Zin, my dear old thing.

Stony's double hip replacement and Oakie's crutches tend to slow them down these days, not sure they can get up and down the touchline like they used to.
 
Neville Kneville said:
I think this will be Zaba's last year. He has lost a bit & in his position it's not something he can afford.

But at least he's going out as a valued member of the squad & will play a part in whatever happens this season.
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Agree. Most of the problems come down Zaba's side when he plays. He's been a great servant but it's evident that he's on the decline now.
 
Fuk me, I listened to Zabs interview after the Gladbach game. He sounds English. I had to strain to pick up any Spanish accent. I was right shocked!
 
No surprises. We need fullbacks that are more comfortable in possession against teams that press.
 
Surely the full back positions will be the next on the pep "to do" list.

Our defence is too old. Too many players over 30 who have no pace.

We are getting away with it mainly due to the possession we are having but it needs sorting.

Stones should be playing every game for me.
 
He's absolutely finished at the top level and should have taken the move to Roma when it came this summer.

Positionally all over the place, and his support for Sterling on the right was completely non existent.
 
Pep has had a look our academy fullbacks he has played them a few times, be interesting if they are the solution long term or we go out and buy for those position.
 
waspish said:
Pep has had a look our academy fullbacks he has played them a few times, be interesting if they are the solution long term or we go out and buy for those position.
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Maffeo has a good chance but he's not a first choice rb at this stage. He is at the 'bringing through & learning' stage, where he should play occasionally, & was a year ago. Not ready.

Imo The Pelle could have trained Denayer to do that job & Pep would now be putting the icing on the cake rather than him being destroyed by David Moyes.
 
As I said all summer, we really should have politely shown him the door. Age has taken his toll and he just is not good enough any more -- that much was very, very clear last season. At a minimum, we have to manage the games he's played in very carefully. I understand that Pep felt like Sagna would be more important in the Spurs game so he held him back for that, but having two right backs of the age where you have to carefully manager their games due to age is a recipe for disaster.

Zaba is a legend, but unfortunately there is no room for sentimentality if you want to be an absolute top club. Squad restrictions are too important to carry a player who is a notable step down from the first team player. The amount of space that he was yielding yesterday was tragic. He can still put in a shift on attack and had a nice moment or two in that regard, but we're seeing the same problem that we saw in Micah's last season. If Pablo gets too far forward, he simply can't get back in time to be effective defensively. Let alone getting out of position when he is in the right vicinity to start.
 
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