Just when it looked as if the two had come through safely, Zabaleta picked up a hamstring injury in the last minute. He is likely to miss both matches, telling the Ole newspaper:
'It is not a major injury, but I am not likely to be able to play. Sometimes, it is down to luck. I usually don't have these problems, but it is frustrating for me. There is nothing I can do.'
He still has to fly out to Argentina, but the chances are that he will fly straight back and begin rehabilitation for our trip to Wigan Athletic in ten days' time. Naturally, this has gone down badly in Argentina. National coach Diego Maradona was very keen that Tévez and Zabaleta sat out on Monday night - both were due to start - and he demanded that Albiceleste General Manager Carlos Bilardo make it happen. Bilardo failed to convince Hughes, and now Maradona is without his new right back of choice. Maradona is so angry he is threatening to quit.
It's a sad story, really. Like all football fans I am rooting for Argentina to make it to the World Cup, and like all City fans I am rooting for Zabaleta to play a big part in the side. This was his first call up for a year and now he's going to have to wait longer.
It's a sad story, really. Like all football fans I am rooting for Argentina to make it to the World Cup, and like all City fans I am rooting for Zabaleta to play a big part in the side. This was his first call up for a year and now he's going to have to wait longer.
4 comments:
Hes never a starter for Argentina anyway. No offence to Zaba but despite the fact hes a great right back the only reason he is in the Argentina squad is because City are no longer under-dogs and Carlos Tevez is in the same team.
He proved he was good enough before we were purchased by our new owner and before Tevez joined us but never got a sniff from Argentina.
Maradona knows his days are numbered, and even if Argentina do scrape qualification to th WC Finals I don't think he will be elading the team out to South Africa.
Cityblue - It's true that he hasn't been a regular before (though he did play a few times under Alfio Basile), but Maradona was certainly planning to start Zabaleta at right back ahead of Javier Zanetti for the new two games. Hence his insistence that he not play at Villa Park, hence his fury that he did and was injured.
Maradona is a complete joke, never liked him and never will, he is also worshiped by Man United fans so that makes even more interesting to hate him as it clearly shows Man United fans either have no loyalty to England or are not even English.
Quite a few of them stick two fingers up to England, what makes me laugh is the fact they sang Argentina for Tevez only to slag him off later.
When Maradona was appointed i said to myself, big mistake and mt instinct has been proven right.
Tevez and Zabaleta not in the WC would be a blessing incognito.
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