Pablo Zabaleta claims Manchester City are determined to win several trophies this season to make up for the “hurt” of ending last term without any silverware.
The 28-year-old Argentinian was left hugely disappointed after City lost out to rivals Manchester United in the race for the Premier League title and then suffered a shock defeat against Wigan, who went on to be relegated, in the FA Cup final at Wembley in May.
However, with Manchester City looking good to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time at the third time of asking, the focus now switches to the Capital One Cup on Wednesday with a trip to Premier League rivals Newcastle United to negotiate.
The competition is usually at the bottom of the priority list when it comes to the top teams and boss Manuel Pellegrini is expected to make changes for what will be the club’s fourth away game in the space of 12 days.
But Zabaleta is adamant that a strong side will take to the field at St James’ Park and they are fully focused on booking a quarter-final place at the expense of Alan Pardew’s side.
He said: “The manager always tells us that we have the squad to challenge in everything and that he will always try to put a strong team to win every game.
“The experience against Wigan has made us more focused. This time the manager has told us that we must aim to win all four competitions that we are in.
“I think that’s what you want to be aiming for when you want to be the best team.”
Link Dafabet