Following Manchester City’s 3-2 defeat to Cardiff City last Sunday, new manager Manuel Pellegrini hasn’t been pointing the finger of blame at his players.
But ahead of City’s clash with Hull City on Saturday, (7:45am ET, watch live on NBCSN and via NBC Sports Live Extra) he has been speaking about City’s goalkeeper Joe Hart.
England’s no. 1 has had a shaky few weeks for his country and for City, with noticeable mistakes creeping into the 26-year-old ‘keepers play. So at a time like this you would expect the full support of your manager to help you get through that sticky patch... right?
Not so much.
“For the moment Joe will continue being our goalkeeper,” Pellegrini said. “But I know and I spoke with him and he knows he must be quickly in the best shape again – his top form. I think he is a top goalkeeper. I’m sure that he will do it again.”
So, not exactly a rousing seal of approval from the 59-year-old Chilean manager. But with the former Real Madrid, Malaga, River Plate and Villarreal manager still trying to establish himself as the authority figure at City, what did you expect?
Hart should have done better with Fraizer Campbell’s first goal that put Cardiff 2-1 up last Sunday, he misjudged a corner that allowed the Cardiff striker to score at the back post. And just over a week before that he was at fault for Scotland’s opener at Wembley as James Morrison’s routine shot squirmed underneath him.
(MORE: Expect Joe Hart to get more scrutiny after his performance against Cardiff City)
This alarming trend has continued for quite some time now, and Hart’s slump is entering months rather than weeks. This season is Hart’s seventh as a regular in the Premier League and Pellegrini has perhaps found a reason why he’s been struggling of late.
“He is a young goalkeeper who has arrived at the top maybe too young. He needs to improve a lot and Xabier Mancisidor [City’s new goalkeeping coach] will improve it,” Pellegrini said. “For a goalkeeper 22 or 23 is young [Hart’s age when he established himself]. But he has the quality to do it. That’s why he’s the No1 in England. We have all the trust in him and he will also be critical of what he’s doing and he will improve.”
Pellegrini is confident Hart will regain his best form and these comments are nothing but a subtle kick up the backside to help the England international reach the top once again. Hart will be doing that himself, often the camera pans to him during the game to reveal plenty of sour expressions emblazoned across his face.
It’s not all doom and gloom.
Even though Hart has suffered some high-profile errors of late he still made an incredible double save from a Ronaldinho penalty during a friendly last February, as England sealed their first win over Brazil in 23 years and Hart was lauded for his performance. He’s young for an international goalkeeper but struggles like the mini-slump he’s going through at the moment will more than likely make him a better ‘keeper.
But the most important factor to come out of Pellegrini’s comments on Hart is that he’s working under a new goalkeeping coach. Many will know that for a ‘keeper, familiarity breeds success. Having your routine changed and altered after years of working with the same coach can, at first, have a negative effect as you adapt to new training methods. But in the long run it should make Hart even better.
City and England hope so.