UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Manchester City Manuel Pellegrini keeps quiet about the possible return of goalkeeper Joe Hart for their home match against Tottenham Hotspur

Record ID: 860303

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Manchester City Manuel Pellegrini keeps quiet about the possible return of goalkeeper Joe Hart for their home match against Tottenham Hotspur
  • Date: 22nd November 2013
  • Summary: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 16, 2013) (REUTERS) MANUEL PELLEGRINI ON PITCH AT MANCHESTER CITY TRAINING SESSION
  • Embargoed: 7th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3VWA3DEHHKVTLZFSNFLFOPGZ4
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  • Story Text: One good display for England has not guaranteed keeper Joe Hart a return to the Manchester City side with manager Manuel Pellegrini refusing to say he would be recalled for Sunday's (November 24) home match against Tottenham Hotspur.
    Some costly mistakes led to 26-year-old Hart being replaced by Romanian Costel Pantilimon for the Premier League club's last four games.
    Hart made several fine saves during England's 1-0 defeat by Germany on Tuesday (November 19), but Pantilimon has impressed since getting his chance, leaving Pellegrini with a dilemma.

    "I think he has done really well, Pellegrini told reporters in Manchester on Friday (November 22). "One thing is to ask me about the national team, another thing is Manchester City.

    "We don't know, we will see tomorrow the starting eleven but I think it was useful for him the game he played."
    Tottenham will visit Manchester City without Dane playmaker Christian Eriksen, who will be out for four weeks with sprained ankle ligaments.
    Spurs are seventh in the Premier League standings on 20 points, one above City who are the only team in the top four divisions of English football with a perfect home record this season.

    "It is going to be a very difficult game for us, we are playing against a very good team, they have also a good position in the table and they have very good players," the Chilean said.
    Pellegrini said it was a matter of "style" when asked why City have such a good home record, scoring 20 times and conceding only two goals and such a poor away record with only four points from 18.

    "It is a difficult answer. I know why our home games we have played really, really well. But I insist that playing away we are not doing so bad but the reality is that we have only four points from 18," the Chilean said.

    "So we are thinking about what happened and we need to improve. But I think I also think it is important to have a style of playing. If we go to play away a match trying just to defend trying to get a result, maybe we could do it better but I think that in the way that we are doing it at least and I hope soon we are going to win also away."
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