All hail our Hart stopper: How Joe became the rock of England

By Martin Samuel - Sport for the Daily Mail

Published: 17:08 EST, 21 June 2012 | Updated: 02:58 EST, 22 June 2012

According to his goalkeeping coaches at Manchester City, it is his reactions that set Joe Hart apart. Sounds obvious, but there is science in there, too.

Under pressure, it takes him less time than his contemporaries to get his arms up to save a shot. An example of it in this tournament would be his save from Alou Diarra’s header against France. Had Hart been in goal for the Republic of Ireland, they say, Mario Balotelli might not have scored.

‘I can remember Mario watching him in training,’ says Manchester City coach David Platt. ‘He was rattling away in Italian about how good he was, how quick his hands were. Everybody notices it.’

Flying the flag: Joe Hart is ready for England's quarter-final clash with Italy on Sunday

In the build-up to England’s match with Italy in Kiev on Sunday, Hart and Balotelli have already been in touch. ‘We’re a goalkeeper and a striker, so usually when we speak it’s stuff you couldn’t print,’ said Hart.

‘Just rubbish arguments in training, really. He’s rubbish, I’m rubbish, stuff like that. But that’s training. Nothing’s won or lost.

High hopes: Hart wants to go all the way at Euro 2012 with England

‘Now this means something. When we spoke, there was a lot of respect for the game and each other. When he wants to be he’s a cool, normal guy. Unless you know Mario, you definitely don’t know him.’

Balotelli will no doubt be giving his Italy colleagues the lowdown on Hart, but there is one player who will require no briefing. Gigi Buffon, Italy’s goalkeeper, singled out Hart in an interview two years ago.

The fast show: Joe Hart makes a sensational stop to deny France's Alou Diarra

‘Joe Hart is a great goalkeeper,’ he said. ‘I don’t see any reason why, in five years when Iker Casillas of Spain and I are old men, he can’t be the best in the world. I have watched a lot of him and he really does have all the qualities. I am sure he will be England’s goalkeeper for the next decade and, if Manchester City put the quality of defender in front of him that he deserves, they can be very successful.’

The second part of that prediction has already come true, and the first cannot be too far away now. One of the themes of Sunday’s match is the significance of the two goalkeepers: Buffon, 34, captain of his country with 117 caps, and Hart, 25, almost a century of international appearances in his wake, but expected to assume his mantle. Only Casillas, 31 and 134 Spanish caps, could challenge Buffon’s supremacy, and only Manuel Neuer of Germany, 26 and 29 appearances, comes close to possessing Hart’s potential.

An eye for talent: Gigi Buffon (left) picked out Hart for stardom two years ago

‘Buffon is someone I admire and I think I can learn from,’ Hart added. ‘He’s a huge name in football, and a huge name in goalkeeping. It is a shame we don’t see more of him on television because he’s been a legend for years. He’s Italy’s captain, a player they look up to and I love the way he plays.

'He’s got a great style about him and seems to have good mannerisms, very in control of the situation. He’s calm and like-able and makes the big saves when required. He doesn’t go looking for action, either. When you’re playing a good side like Italy, the last thing you want is your keeper trying to take crosses 30 yards out or slide-tackling people. He just does his thing and is very good at it.’

It is worth remembering Hart is still young for a goalkeeper, though. Platt said: ‘When we played against Stoke City he tried to hit this 60-yard crossfield ball that went straight into touch. He’s got good feet, Joe, but he’s very ambitious and we had to remind him that, if you do it against Stoke, the next time you see the ball Rory Delap is going to be aiming it in with both hands, right under your crossbar.’

Strong wrists: Hart made several telling saves against Ukraine

The difference with Hart is he is now allowed the odd mistake. That hasn’t been the case for an England goalkeeper, probably, since Paul Robinson’s demise after losing in Moscow in 2007. Scott Carson came in against Croatia with disastrous results, since when a succession of goalkeepers have always been one bad game from the sack, as happened to Robert Green against the United States in 2010.

Hart is the first in almost five years to earn the right not to be doubted if all does not go according to plan. After many years of believing England had the best goalkeepers in the world — Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence, David Seaman — the country can sense similar assurance growing in Hart.

‘I expect to make good saves now,’ he added. ‘You get into this great phase as a goalkeeper where you feel you should save everything and you’re disappointed if you don’t. Joleon Lescott knows me from City and he expects me to save everything, too, so when the ball swerves at me, he follows it in. His logic is, “You’re saving it, so I’ll back it up”. They’re there for me and I’m there for them. That’s how it works.’

Talisman: Hart can lay claim to the England No 1 jersey for many years to come

This confidence will feed into all facets of Sunday’s game. Italy and England are notoriously poor penalty takers but, if after two hours, the teams cannot be separated, Englishmen would feel as much confidence seeing young Hart in goal as Italians would feel in the veteran Buffon. Hart, however, has no desire to be the penalty hero.

‘As a goalkeeper it is your moment, but I’d prefer to win the game properly in normal time,’ he admitted. ‘Nobody blames the goalkeeper for not saving a penalty so people think it doesn’t matter to us but, whether you get the blame or it’s not your fault, you’re still out and that’s your worst nightmare. Whether it’s 5-0 or out on penalties, the end result is the same.

‘Penalties are a lottery. The game has dragged on for 120 minutes, usually by the 105th everyone’s knackered so the last 15 are a waste of time anyway. You just need some way to bring it to an end.’

Spot on: Hart faces a shootout penalty for the Under 21s in 2007 and scores one in 2009 (below)

On target: Hart

Hart was the last England goalkeeper to emerge victorious from a penalty shootout, in the semi-final of the European Under 21 Championship in Sweden in 2009. England won 5-4, with Hart booked for ungentlemanly conduct for engaging too openly with Sweden’s takers. He was banned for the final against Germany, which England lost 4-0.

‘We were 3-0 up at half-time, so you can take it that the second half wasn’t great,’ he recalled. ‘Extra time was a waste of time, as always, but it was a good shootout.’

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