SOCCER:ROBERTO MANCINI has told his England goalkeeper, Joe Hart, to eradicate the lapses in concentration that have increased Manchester City's workload with an FA Cup third-round replay against Leicester City tonight.
Hart has been in commanding form since usurping Shay Given as Mancini’s number-one choice at Eastlands, with 11 clean sheets in the Premier League this season providing a platform for City’s title challenge.
The 23-year-old, however, was culpable for Andy King’s equaliser for Leicester at the Walkers Stadium and Mancini has stressed to Hart that, despite being recognised as England’s finest goalkeeper by Fabio Capello, his development is incomplete.
“I think for a young goalkeeper it is important to always have full concentration, but I think that Joe sometimes loses his concentration,” said the City manager.
“He is always very assured but it is important to have concentration always. He is improving, but I think that he has a chance to improve more because he is young and this is his second year in the first team. He can become one of the best goalkeepers in England, but for this to happen he has to want to work and want to improve.”
City conceded three goals against Wolves on Saturday and, with City willing to allow Given to leave providing they find a replacement, Mancini suggested the Ireland international may not make a rare appearance against Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team.
“I don’t know if Shay can play. I think Joe is a young player and sometimes he can make some mistakes, but many times he has saved the team. A goalkeeper is a difficult position. You cannot change a goalkeeper in a game because it is a difficult position.”
Mancini conceded “without Joe’s mistake it (the replay) would not be happening, but they deserved to draw that game because they played well”, and he is likely to field several changes tonight despite pursuing City’s first trophy since 1976 and a fourth-round tie against League One Notts County awaiting the winner.
“I don’t like this replay because we have a lot of matches to play until the end of the season already, but we want to win because we want to get to Wembley,” said the Italian, who is expected to start with Jerome Boateng, James Milner, David Silva, Jo and Joleon Lescott against Leicester. The new €32 million signing Edin Dzeko is ineligible for the replay and Mario Balotelli is injured.
The tie sees Eriksson return to the club he left in controversy in 2008, although the Leicester manager admits his only grievance lies with the owner who sacked him, Thaksin Shinawatra.
“I’ve not anything against anyone at City,” said the former England manager. “The only one who didn’t understand anything was the owner at that time and Manchester City are lucky he’s not there any more. Now they have good owners, but that has nothing to do with the people working in the club or the fans.
“I think the reaction (from the crowd) will be very positive. I think the fans were very happy for most of the year when I worked there. We had some very good results, we played some very good football.”
Eriksson said Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak has turned down a loan move to Leicester. The Swede has been looking to bring in a top-quality goalkeeper after Wigan’s Chris Kirkland completed a brief loan spell at the club. Leicester made an inquiry for Kuszczak but the Poland international wants to fight for his place at Old Trafford.
“Tomasz doesn’t want to come to us,” Eriksson said. “But the goalkeeper we have, Chris Weale, is doing very well for us so I am confident in him.”
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