Pep Guardiola's Ruthless Handling of Joe Hart Shows He'll Stop at Nothing to Win

It’s a debate that has somewhat overshadowed Manchester City’s promising start to the new season.

Pep Guardiola has overseen two wins in the space of four days, including the club’s biggest European away victory ever, albeit against a lacklustre Steaua Bucharest side. It’s early days, and no one is getting carried away, but there are healthy signs, even at this early juncture of Guardiola’s time in charge, that he can have a significant impact on the City squad.

But it hasn’t been without some unrest.

Joe Hart’s position at the club has been discussed endlessly, with the majority of supporters unhappy with the decision to remove him from the starting lineup in favour of Willy Caballero, a goalkeeper who has rarely impressed since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2014.

In Guardiola’s mind, it’s a straightforward issue. His sides play a very particular style of football, one that involves 11 players who are comfortable in possession. His goalkeepers aren’t goalkeepers as we know them in England. They are auxiliary outfield players—Guardiola’s extra weapon that he feels has been key in the success he’s had at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

In his seven seasons as a manager, he’s won 21 trophies and dazzled with the quality of football his sides have played. Who are we to argue with the most tactically astute coach in the game?

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Since Joe Hart made his @premierleague debut in 2006, Tim Howard is the only goalkeeper to have played more games. pic.twitter.com/x6iyouPkC8

— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) August 17, 2016"

But Caballero’s distribution has hardly impressed in pre-season or City’s first two games—and in terms of his ability to keep the ball out of the net, the fundamental part of a goalkeeper’s game, Hart is far superior.

It’s led to unrest in Hart’s camp. The man signed from Shrewsbury Town back in 2006 for just £100,000 is now looking for a loan move, according to Paul Hirst of the Times. The 29-year-old feels a connection to City and the supporters and therefore is unwilling to move permanently.

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Joe Hart wants loan move after being frozen out at MCFC. Everton and Sevilla interested. https://t.co/QPWKAKlsCI

— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) August 17, 2016"

But he has competition at international level from Jack Butland and Fraser Forster, and he’s aware he needs to be playing to fend off their challenges.

His poor European Championship, which saw him at fault for the goal that saw Iceland knock England out of the competition at the last-16 stage, means his supremacy isn’t as clear as it once was. He needs to be playing regularly for a top-flight club, preferably in the Premier League.

It all feels somewhat harsh. Hart has played just 45 minutes of football under Guardiola during the pre-season friendly with Arsenal in Gothenburg, nowhere near enough time to show the new manager he is capable of improving his distribution and becoming the kind of "sweeper-keeper" Guardiola craves.

It’s the kind of ruthlessness Guardiola showed at Barcelona. In his first season as manager at the Camp Nou, he disposed of Ronaldinho, Gianluca Zambrotta and Deco, and Samuel Eto'o followed them 12 months later. Reputations mean nothing. If you don’t have the qualities he is looking for and the desire to work hard, you don’t have a future.

Guardiola will have been watching Hart from afar for some time. The 45-year-old is an intense student of the game, a man who leaves no stone unturned in his quest for greatness. As soon as it was confirmed he was heading to City, he will have studied Hart and the rest of the City squad in preparation for his arrival. Clearly, he has reservations about Hart’s ability to distribute the ball and involve himself in the team’s passing.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

“I think Willy made a good pre-season—really, really good,” Guardiola told reporters after the game with Sunderland on Saturday.  “He gave me today a lot of confidence for his buildup play, for his personality, and that's why I choose him.”

Guardiola has lined up a move for Barcelona No. 1 Claudio Bravo, with a deal expected to be completed before the end of the transfer window.

He is comfortable with his feet and has been superb for the La Liga champions of the last two seasons. At 33, he may not be a long-term option, but he has plenty of time at the top and, if he does arrive, will probably be Guardiola’s No. 1 for the duration of the Catalan manager’s time at the club.

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Joe Hart looks set to leave @ManCity this summer, according to Sky sources: https://t.co/Rj8ogv2RJj #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/tPunZcK4h6

— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) August 16, 2016"

That leaves Hart in a tight spot, clearly unfavoured by the new manager and with the fiercest competition he’s faced since establishing himself as the club’s first-choice keeper—but the advice of Gary Neville, speaking in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, feels pertinent.

The former Manchester United right-back, one of the most astute thinkers in the media, says Hart should stay where he is and focus on improving his game. He said on Monday Night Football:

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Pep Guardiola has been around the block and I'm sure he would have understood the significance of leaving Hart out of his team.

He would have known the repercussions when it comes to England's No. 1 and Man City's No. 1 for many years. It will be a decision he won't have taken lightly, but he hit it head on.

He's given Joe a little whack, there's no doubt about that.

The fallout since is that Joe has to consider leaving and there will be a lot of noise, there always is around a big England player, about who is going to buy Joe Hart. He was linked this morning [Monday] with numerous clubs.

I think my advice to Joe would be to stay exactly where he is.

[...]

The easy thing would be to throw your toys out of the pram, to create a problem with the manager and say, 'we will part company'. I say he should stay for a year or two and get his head down and work to transform himself.

He has 10 years left at the top of his game, and from my point of view, he should fight to get back into the team, to transform his game with Pep into someone who can play 2,000 passes rather than 500, and to be what Pep wants him to be.

I think Guardiola might be able to find a goalkeeper who is better with his feet at the moment but for attitude, work ethic and someone who loves Man City, he would be better off sticking with Joe and transforming him into what he wants.

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Guardiola’s pursuit of a goalkeeper who can play football and start attacks is understandable. Even after just two competitive games, it’s clear City are already moving towards the style synonymous with Guardiola’s career as a manager—passing the ball as much as possible, even in the defensive third.

Hart’s distribution has always been the weakest area of his game. At 29, he probably hasn’t enjoyed being told by a new manager revolutionising the club that he has to alter his style, to change the way he plays the game and incorporate elements with which he feels uncomfortable.

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

Guardiola, on the one hand, should be applauded for his single-mindedness—his absolutely unbending belief that his approach yields results and nothing else will do.

But surely, before a new goalkeeper was sought, Hart deserved a proper opportunity to show what he can do. He’s made 347 appearances for the club and produced brilliance on a number of occasions. He, to most people’s minds, is better than Caballero, hands down.

City waited three years for the best manager in the game to join them, and he will no doubt deliver success. He will be the most important person at the club over the next three, maybe more, years.

The City fans just wish Hart had been handled with a little more compassion.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.