Joe Hart to start for Manchester City’s Europa League clash
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has made his choice for the goalkeeping post; Joe Hart is to start against Timisoara in the UEFA Europa league competition.
Mancini has been part of a selection dilemma in the goalkeeper department, following the return of Joe Hart to the Eastlands. Hart spent the last season on loan to Birmingham City, where he had a strong of impressive performances. The 23-year-old managed to keep 7 consecutive clean sheets at Birmingham, which led him to be included in the PFA Team of the year. Hart currently rivals Shay Given for the number one jersey at City, as Mancini has two of the most talented goalkeepers at his disposal. The coach, however, chose Joe Hart over the much experienced Shay Given in City’s Premier League opener, away to Tottenham Hotspurs. Hart could easily have been the single reason behind City’s 0-0 draw against Spurs, as the youngster made some impressive saves. In the opening 20 minutes, some clear cut goals from Spurs were expertly saved by the England International, who had a busy evening at White Hart Lane. The player’s performance against the Spurs has led to major speculations surrounding Shay Given, who is expected to quit City.
Given joined City last season and was very impressive in his first season at Eastlands. The player produced some excellent displays and his experience in the Premier League aided his cause. Given played an important role for the club last season, as the team managed to finish its best-ever 5th place finish last season. The 34-year-old now expects to be the permanent number 1 for City, following Hart’s arrival. Given claims that he has only a few years left in his career, and would now be looking to start in every match. The player was expected to start in the Europa League encounter, in order to compensate his omission from the Premier League opener. However, the manager has now confirmed that Hart would feature in the Europa League tie, adding fuel to speculation of the 34-year-old asking for move away to Arsenal or Fulham.
"Joe Hart will play. I had a very difficult choice to make before the Spurs game because I have two world-class goalkeepers. It is difficult for one of them to sit on the bench," claimed Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini. The manager added that he really respected Given and wishes for him to stay. However, he is also aware of Given’s concerns and would completely understand the goalkeeper’s decision.
Former Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng, who joined City this summer, suffers from a deep cut on the inside of his knee and is, therefore expected to miss out on another one week. The player may well play the home leg of the Europa tie, but is more likely to feature in the Premier League, when City will take on Sunderland on August 29. Kolarov, on the other hand, is suffering from a much more serious injury, as the player has reportedly damaged ankle ligaments, while playing in the Premier League at White Hart Lane.
This would lead to Mancini making some minor adjustments to his squad, as he would be without both Kolarov and Boateng. The manager confirmed that two or three changes can be expected, with suitable replacements for all the positions. The manager claimed that he was pleased with his squad performance against Tottenham. Mancini added that Spurs have s squad who share some great team chemistry, which led to Spurs dominate in the first half. However Mancini stated that in the second half, City took control and retained almost 61 percent possession, producing remarkable results. The boss added that he was happy with how his team came back in the second half and would only be a matter of time before the manager finds the right mix.
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