Pablo Zabaleta - 2016/17 performances

[BlueMojito]

Captain fantastic last night.

 

[eversince 76]

Captain fantastic last night.

But his legs were gone weren't they?

 

[Ric]

His reaction after the final whistle said it all, fuckin love Zabba

Ha, yeah he was going wild at full time. Great reaction, don't suppose anyone captured it on video? He was superb last night. Just when you think his best days might be behind him, he puts in a performance like that. One of my favourite ever City players.

Sounds like the gaffer was pretty pleased with him too!

"The important thing is we showed the way to compete against the big teams – like Zabaleta, for two weeks with no training session after the Barcelona game," he explained.

"[Monday] was the first day. [On Tuesday] he arrived and said 'I'm ready if you need me'.

"So he played against Neymar. Guys… Neymar! And he played how he played. That is the steps to go forward.

"That is why I am so pleased – for my guys, for the team, because from the beginning we said, 'win or lose, in the end we will try'."

 

[eversince 76]

No other player since the Sheiks tenure has had to up his game so often, and succeeded in doing so. Pure character men can and Zab certainly is a fckin man! Well done captain.

 

[BlueMojito]

But his legs were gone weren't they?

Looked like Zabba the blue warrior to me.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

He might be on the wane a bit but he is a fucking legend and always will be. Great performance from him last night.

 

[City Raider]

Warrior

 

[Zin 'messiah' Zimmer]

His reaction after the final whistle said it all, fuckin love Zabba

A true captain!!

 

[CTID1977]

not sure if posted before. zaba's interview

https://www.acast.com/thebiginterviewwithgrahamhunter/pablozabaleta-messi-manchesterandmartintyler

 

[Nelinho]

Ha, yeah he was going wild at full time. Great reaction, don't suppose anyone captured it on video? He was superb last night. Just when you think his best days might be behind him, he puts in a performance like that. One of my favourite ever City players.

Sounds like the gaffer was pretty pleased with him too!

"The important thing is we showed the way to compete against the big teams – like Zabaleta, for two weeks with no training session after the Barcelona game," he explained.

"[Monday] was the first day. [On Tuesday] he arrived and said 'I'm ready if you need me'.

"So he played against Neymar. Guys… Neymar! And he played how he played. That is the steps to go forward.

"That is why I am so pleased – for my guys, for the team, because from the beginning we said, 'win or lose, in the end we will try'."

It is very difficult for people not familiar with the atmosphere of a dressing room to understand what this attitude means for his teammates, players entering the pitch to face a side such as Barcelona. Inspiring, extremely influential. Mentally, the battle was won even before the ref’s first whistle and he played a serious role in this…

Objectively speaking, Zabaleta is the least talented of all 4 fullbacks. However, in his good days, when fit, the most reliable. Why? Character. Personality. You can trust him. Period.

In the matches ahead it’s unlikely he’ll be needed to defend against another Neymar. Contributing to defensive stability is crucial, yet not enough for an ambitious team like City. You need more from a fullback. Desperately. But the guy has the will. He remains in the manager’s plans, which means Guardiola believes in him. I’m sure Pablo won’t let him down.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

But his legs were gone weren't they?

His legs are on the way out. I doubt he'll be able to play today after that superhuman effort on Tuesday

 

[malg]

It is very difficult for people not familiar with the atmosphere of a dressing room to understand what this attitude means for his teammates, players entering the pitch to face a side such as Barcelona. Inspiring, extremely influential. Mentally, the battle was won even before the ref’s first whistle and he played a serious role in this…

Objectively speaking, Zabaleta is the least talented of all 4 fullbacks. However, in his good days, when fit, the most reliable. Why? Character. Personality. You can trust him. Period.

In the matches ahead it’s unlikely he’ll be needed to defend against another Neymar. Contributing to defensive stability is crucial, yet not enough for an ambitious team like City. You need more from a fullback. Desperately. But the guy has the will. He remains in the manager’s plans, which means Guardiola believes in him. I’m sure Pablo won’t let him down.

I can see him inspiring other players without having to resort to punching things, and hollering at the top of his voice etc.

 

[jimharri]

His legs are on the way out. I doubt he'll be able to play today after that superhuman effort on Tuesday

I'd be surprised if he's playing today, especially if there are fit alternatives available (Maffeo, maybe?).

 

[eversince 76]

His legs are on the way out. I doubt he'll be able to play today after that superhuman effort on Tuesday

Well ... obviously he can.

To me it's as obvious as your remark his legs are on the way out. Not that difficult for a top player in his 30ies.

 

[Eccles Blue]

I didn't really see much evidence of his legs being gone today! 100% on the ball. No pun intended

 

[1894southstander]

Played well i thought today. Hopefully he can keep it up.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Personally I thought he looked a bit leggy from about 70 mins. I'm not sure why he got so dragged in at the end too when the only danger was their crosser getting the ball and crossing it in. Maybe taking Navas off didn't help that either.

 

[mancityscot]

It's fucking shit posts like this that get right on my tits.
Zabaletas performance last night will hopefully shut you, and every other poster who's written him off, up. His contribution to the game was something that no amount of coaching can teach. He was a leader, warrior and captain of men. A living City legend.

wow, at the time it was not a shit post as you and every other city fan will have seen he was getting ripped to shreds by pretty much everything that came his way. i'll hold my hands up and admit he was very good vs barca but i wouldnt make a habit of playing him week in week out. still believe his best days are behind him

 

[DTKOAG]

Thought he looked very tired and vulnerable yesterday.
Anything that Palace created was on his side including the goal which he seemed to be glued to the floor when to react.
Age has crept up on the big fella unfortunately.

 

[blueinsa]

The man and always will be but got left for dead on the goal yesterday and we seriously need new full backs asap