Manuel Pellegrini has warned Joe Hart that Willy Cabellero will be a serious rival for his first-team place at Manchester City, despite insisting that the England goalkeeper has now emerged from his form slump.
Argentine goalkeeper Cabellero, a summer arrival from Pellegrini’s previous club, Malaga, is expected to play in one of City’s next three games against Arsenal, Bayern Munich or Chelsea with Pellegrini determined to avoid Hart suffering the same loss of form that saw him spend two months out of the team last season.
With Hart impressing for England during the 2-0 victory over Switzerland last Monday, Pellegrini is ready to keep faith the keeper at the Emirates on Saturday.
But the City manager admits that Hart will miss games this season, whether he makes mistakes or not.
“At the moment, I am playing Joe Hart, but for sure, (but) Caballero will have his opportunity soon,” Pellegrini said. “Willy can be in any team. He is a very good goalkeeper and he has come here to play.
“I am not waiting for Joe Hart to make a mistake in order to change him for Willy Caballero. Willy and Joe know the situation and it is not about waiting for Joe to make his first mistake for me to change the goalkeeper.
“We will see game by game. We play against Arsenal next and the goalkeeper will be decided 75 minutes before kick-off.” Despite Hart being criticised for the goal which led to City losing 1-0 at home to Stoke in their last outing, Pellegrini defended the goalkeeper by insisting his team-mates were at fault for Mame Biram Diouf’s strike.
“Against Stoke, I analysed the goal and it was individual mistakes of the players,” Pellegrini said. “I analysed the goal with the whole team and I think a lot of players were involved in the goal.
“Maybe in the last year, Joe didn’t start very well, but he has done very well recently.
“But it is good to have competition and it is not just between Hart and Cabellero. It is all over the team.
“Caballero has good distribution, he does well one-on-one and makes good saves.
“To be a top goalkeeper, you need these qualities and Cabellero has a good career behind him and that is why he is now here in a big team.” Meanwhile, Pellegrini has admitted that City had no chance of beating Arsenal to the signature of Danny Welbeck, who left Manchester United in a £16m deadline day move, despite the loan of Alvaro Negredo to Valencia which left the club with just three forwards.
