Joe Hart Needs Top Competition

Joe Hart has faced a lot of criticism this season, and rightly so, after errors at both national and club level has cost his teams valuable points. I had not seen any of his errors until I watched him against Chelsea. After much hard work from the Manchester City team, it was so cruel to lose the match in such fashion. Hart, coming out to claim a ball his defender would have easily dealt with, nodding it back to him to make an easy catch. Instead, he came out of his box was left in “no man’s land”.

I can remember him when he was a loanee at Birmingham City few years back. At Birmingham he broke a lot of records between the sticks for the club which kept them up that season. At the end of his loan that season, a lot of debatable questions came up; should he be installed as Man City’s No. 1 ahead of the experienced Shay Given who had been equally fantastic that season? Should he be England’s No. 1? These were just a few of them.

In his first full season at Man City, he kept Shay Given out of the starting lineup and that was justifiable because he made wonderful saves after wonderful saves all the season and that was owing to the fact that he had a goalkeeper with the quality of Shay Given breathing down his neck, ready to make the most out of the few chances he was given.

The worst thing that can deteriorate a player’s performance is going to training everyday and knowing that no matter what, you are still gonna be in the starting lineup. That is the situation Hart is right now because Pantilimon doesn’t provide enough competition for the English man.

A new goalkeeper of top quality has to be on top of the priority list for Manchester City this winter to provide competition for Joe Hart. Although, Joe Hart is a top goalkeeper and could even develop to be one of the best in the game, no doubt about that, he needs top competition to bring the best out of him and realize his full potential.