Pep Guardiola deserves criticism for dropping Joe Hart

If there’s one manager who knows just how good Joe Hart can be, it’s Pep Guardiola. The then Bayern Munich boss was in the Camp Nou stands last year as Manchester City’s number one kept Barcelona at bay for much of the last 16 tie, limiting Lionel Messi and co. to just a 1-0 win. “A true titan” one Spanish newspaper described Hart as, and Guardiola was there to witness why.

It hasn’t stopped him ditching Hart as City’s number one goalkeeper within weeks of taking charge at the Etihad Stadium, though. Guardiola knows what he likes when it comes to shot-stoppers (and every other position, for that matter) and the 29-year-old just doesn’t fit the bill. He faces a season on the sidelines if he can’t find a new club before the close of the transfer window.

“I was clear with him. I have a lot of respect about him as a person and a goalkeeper,” Guardiola reasoned. “But Willy [Caballero] is better, right now, in that position. It doesn’t mean it is going to be like that in the future. So we have to decide. If he [Hart] stays here I want to help him.”

Naturally, reaction to Guardiola’s decision has focussed on Hart’s shortcomings, seeking to explain exactly why he has been ostracised by the new man in charge at City. But what does the situation say about Guardiola and his nature as a coach? The Catalan is well-renowned for being a ruthless operator, but this doesn’t show him in a particularly favourable light.

It’s not “disgusting” as Joey Barton claims it is - this is the way professional football sometimes works, after all - but if Guardiola was truly the elite coach he is said to be he would surely work with Hart to improve on what he sees as his deficiencies.

While the England number one is undoubtedly prone to the odd blunder, he remains one of the best natural shot-stoppers in the Premier League, maybe even in Europe. Hart demonstrated that in front of Guardiola’s own eyes at Camp Nou just over a year ago, and yet the new City boss remains steadfast in his stance.

Of course, Guardiola insists that he is willing to work with Hart to improve him as a goalkeeper, but the very public manner in which he has been dropped as Man City’s number one must be considered a deliberate ploy to ensure there is now way back for the 29-year-old. His ties have been cut with the Etihad Stadium club before he has even left.

However, with City reported to be asking as much as £7 million as a mere loan fee Hart’s exile could continue at Man City. That is of concern to Sam Allardyce, who could now see his number one go an entire season without so much as a first-team appearance. Hart might not just lose his place at club, but for his country as well.

“In the end it is critical [that a key player is not playing for his club team],” the England manager explained earlier this week. “If it’s a short period of time, maybe not, they come back in the team and everything goes fine. If it goes for a longer period then it’s difficult to select them. So it is a concern.”

With Claudio Bravo expected to sign for City this week, Hart will soon be the third-choice goalkeeper at the Etihad Stadium. Questions over certain aspects of Hart’s game persist, but he is certainly better than that, even if Guardiola doesn’t think so.

Appointed to establish Man City as a true force of the European game, Guardiola’s unparalleled career has given him a mandate like no other in the Premier League. He can essentially do whatever he likes because if ever questioned he can point to the shimmering success he enjoyed at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

That doesn’t mean that Guardiola shouldn’t be scrutinised, though. It’s not that his decision to drop Hart is the wrong one, there is justifiable reasoning behind his call, it’s that his petulant banishment of is not exactly the sign of an adaptable, open-minded coach. Guardiola’s stubbornness is both his best and worst quality and that is manifesting itself in the episode surrounding Hart’s selection.