Last Updated: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:45
Pablo Zabaleta has called on his Manchester City team-mates to forget about their defeat to Southampton and reignite their title push.
After dramatically claiming the Premier League trophy last May, City have not been at their best this term and the defeat at St Mary's, combined with Manchester United's win over Everton, saw them fall 12 points behind their rivals at the top of the table.
However, with 12 league games still to go, there could still be plenty of twists and turns left in the title race, especially as City found themselves in a similar situation last term.
Zabaleta is the first to admit that Roberto Mancini's men have been under par but believes they must now wipe the slate clean and show exactly what they can do in the final weeks of the campaign.
"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," he told the club's website. "We will learn from this defeat and use the deflated feeling we had afterwards as an inspiration to maybe try and rediscover the sort of spirit we had last season.
"We need to stand together, battle and show what we are really capable of."
City have a break from league action this weekend and punters may look to use their free bet to back them to beat Leeds on Sunday when they face the Yorkshire side at home in the FA Cup.
Have you an opinion on this story? Put your money where your mouth is and claim a free £25 bet.
