ZABA: IRON OUT ERRORS
This is where Pep and Klopp earn their big money
THE key to any successful title race is staying calm under pressure. And the key to staying calm? Stop bringing the pressure on unnecessarily!
It’s a little bit absurd that people are already talking about “can’t lose” games, about crucial moments in the fight between Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs. Absurd and stupid. There are still 14 games to go. A few weeks ago in this column, I said there are so many twists and turns to come. And what happened? City lost, Liverpool drew. And there are more to come. So, to treat it like it’s all or nothing now, that can only ruin you. People have asked me how my former club Liverpool should deal with the pressure they’re finding themselves under – and the answer is simple. You can’t think the title is on the line in the next game.
Of course, they will be a bit anxious because they’ve not been here before. But, as someone who has been there in a race – though we lost out a couple of times – I can say you get two more months before it gets truly decisive.
No one is winning the title in the next four or five games. When I look at the pivotal games the team I played in had, they were always with four or five matches to go.
We lost at Anfield in April 1997 to Manchester United with four matches to go. PABLO ZABALETA has told West Ham to forget about finishing the best of the rest – until they can find consistency for the club.
The Argentine revealed that qualifying for European football next season was the original aim at the start of the campaign.
But he says every player has to be “on it” if they are to win regularly in the Premier League.
Four wins in December have been followed by two victories in eight.
And Zabaleta (below) who hopes his side can turn things around tomorrow night, said: “Playing Liverpool at home is the perfect opportunity for us to put it all right.
“We show against the top teams – we have got, I think, seven points from four games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United – but we have failed three or four times to get that seventh position.
“We’ve all been talking about it, about how good would it be to finish there, to play in the Europa League.
“But Watford at home was a big chance – we lost. We had a big chance against Bournemouth – another good chance – we lost. Against Wolves another good chance – we lost.
“Sometimes, at this level, we have played really well. We win games, put in a really good performance and then, five days later, we produce a really, really poor performance. Ask me to explain it – I can’t.”
In the immediate aftermath of the defeat by Wolves, Zabaleta did point to issues with striker Marko Arnautovic as being a distraction.
The Austrian international was, he said, “one of the best players” and the rumours of his possible transfer to China only added to the air of uncertainty.
Zabaleta insisted: “West Ham United need to be on it. Everyone has to be at it and every player needs to feel proud to play for the club.
“This is the strongest league it the world. You have to respect other teams, they’re really good.” Win that and we’d probably have won the title. That’s decisive. That’s pressure. Not now, not with a third of the season to go. At this stage, you don’t think about May, you don’t think about the trophy.
You have to put all that out of your mind as a player and just go and continue to do what you’ve been doing.
We could see Anfield was
anxious on Wednesday night against Leicester – and it’s human nature for the players to pick up on that and be affected by it. You could feel it, nervous players trying abnormal things. Looking for the miracle ball, shooting from bad angles instead of keeping the same patterns and systems. It’s where the manager and coaches come in, where they earn their big money. Yes, they pick their best team, but then they have to ensure that team plays with confidence and fluency. How? I’ve had a few examples in my time. When we had the run to the Champions League final in 2007, Rafa Benitez would stick with his plans. He’d be thorough in every game, giving us the detail of what the opposition do, what we had to do. If a team starts wandering mentally, the coach has to bring them back hard. He can’t let them go outside the plan.