Zabaleta: Manchester City must bounce back against Leeds

Feb 13, 2013 8:50:00 PM

Roberto Mancini's men suffered a shock 3-1 defeat away at Southampton last weekend, but the Argentine is confident they can return to winning ways in the FA Cup

Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta has claimed his side will use last week's defeat to Southampton as an inspiration to return to winning ways in the FA Cup.

Roberto Mancini's men lost further ground on neighbours Manchester United in the Premier League title race on Saturday, suffering a 3-1 defeat at St. Mary's.

United subsequently increased the gap at the top to 12 points with a win over Everton on Sunday, and Zabaleta has highlighted the importance of finding form quickly.

"We had a great session on Wednesday afternoon and the feeling among the lads is very positive," he told the club's official website.

"Sometimes after a game like Southampton you need a few days to think about what went wrong and why, and then come back stronger and I believe that’s what will happen.

"We know we gave probably our worst performance for two years or more last Saturday and it couldn’t have come at a worse time because it was such a vital game in the title race and United keep winning so the gap is even bigger than before, but you never know in football.

"I think it was just one of those days when everything went wrong. It’s not an excuse, but sometimes when everyone is away for international duty in the days before it is difficult to prepare in the normal way and I think it didn’t help us on this occasion.

"But having said that, we must give full credit to Southampton who played really well and pressed us from the first minute to the last. We have to hold our hands up and admit they were better than us on the day.

"We will learn from this defeat and use the deflated feeling we had afterwards as an inspiration to maybe try and re-discover the sort of spirit we had last season.

"We need to stand together, battle and show what we are really capable of. We will aim and get back to winning ways at the weekend in the FA Cup and that is our immediate focus now."

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