“I needed the build-up and to use the goalkeeper to play quicker to arrive the balls behind the line”, he said in the aftermath of the game.
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Guardiola is still keen on signing a new goalkeeper in order to get his passing game off the ground, with Sporting Lisbon’s Rui Patricio and Barcelona’s Claudio Bravo both linked.
Joe Hart is the Spaniard’s highest-profile victim, with the England worldwide dropped to the bench on Saturday in favour of reserve Willy Caballero.
A disastrous European Championship campaign for England was mirrored by Hart’s personal performances on the pitch.
City did not stay at their Etihad Campus training ground hotel the night before – as they’ve done since October 2014. However, it now appears that the La Liga club value ter Stegen as the keeper of their future, and thus Man City’s focus has shifted to Bravo, according to the MEN. I have a lot of respect of him, for his career and quality, but for the first days – against Sunderland – we were looking for a more intensive game.
But Luis Enrique would not give any clear indications over the 33-year-old’s future during something of a terse media conference ahead of Barca’s Supercopa de Espana second leg against Sevilla. “Since I am manager of Manchester City, from the time we were together with Joe, it was ideal – his behaviour, his training sessions, on the pitch, off the pitch”.
The Spaniard, 45, won the competition twice while manager of Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest boss Laurentiu Reghecampf, whose side last reached the group stage three years ago, says he is ready to face “the best coach in the world”. “He is a big professional”. After all, the club just brought in Loris Karius, a player six years younger than Hart, to be their new number one.
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“I’ve had chances to play, but after so long you wonder if you can continue at the same level and if it’s worth the effort, if you can continue at the heights demanded by this club”.
