Pablo Zabaleta calls for realism over Manchester City's title hopes

Pablo Zabaleta of Manchester City in action the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
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Pablo Zabaleta intimates that winning the Premier League title is too big an ask for Manchester City at this stage.

Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has admitted that the 12-point gap separating them and Premier League leaders Leicester City may be too vast to make up.

The Citizens' 0-0 draw at Norwich City last weekend was thought to have put paid to their hopes of catching the Foxes, who extended their lead by beating Newcastle United on Monday.

Although Manuel Pellegrini's side boast a game in hand, the Argentine right-back concedes that winning the title for the third time since 2012 is too big a dream at the moment.

"Of course we need to be honest with ourselves and just think that the gap between Leicester and us is big – 12 points," the defender told reporters.

"We have a game in hand, but I think it is not right just to think about the title. We need to think about winning the next game, be focused on the next game and this is probably at the moment the best way to see how far we can go in the league.

"Obviously we cannot make any mistakes. We have dropped a lot of points recently so now is just about winning our games. Hopefully we can start on Sunday."

The Sky Blues remain in the Champions League, however, and they have a quarter-final to look forward to after beating Dynamo Kiev over two legs in the last 16.

Pablo Zabaleta of Manchester City in action the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on October 3, 2015 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leicester CityLeicester31199354312366
2Tottenham HotspurSpurs311710456243261
3Arsenal30167748301855
4Manchester CityMan City30156952322051
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham301311647351250
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd30148838271150
7Southampton31138104132947
8Stoke CityStoke31137113437-346
9Liverpool2912894540544
10Chelsea30101194541441
11West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom30109113037-739
12Everton29911951411038
13Bournemouth31108133850-1238
14Watford30107133032-237
15Swansea CitySwansea3199133140-936
16Crystal Palace3096153240-833
17Norwich CityNorwich3177173254-2228
18Sunderland3068163655-1926
19Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3067172955-2625
20Aston Villa3137212258-3616