Manchester City and England No.1 Joe Hart
6th April 2013
By Jeremy Cross
JOE HART reckons the pain of handing back the title to Manchester United will make Roberto Mancini's men stronger next season.
Hart accepts the battle to become champions is over ahead of Monday's derby clash at Old Trafford, with United getting measured up for what will be a record 20th league crown.
Manchester City have gone from being the best team in England to not even the best side in Manchester again and it is hard for Hart to take.
Hart reckons the Blues have been the victims of a United "killing machine" this season that has seen Sir Alex Ferguson's men cruise towards the title.
Strongly But the England goalkeeper insists Mancini's men will learn from the experience and come back with a bang next season.
He said: "We have not quite finished teams off and little things have not gone our way - and I don't mean that in terms of luck, but in the way we have played.
"United have been a machine who have kept killing, and we haven't. They have just kept winning.
"They were always going to come back strongly and we intended to do the same.
"It's just how the season panned out, but we have other things we have to keep an eye on and hopefully the season will still end in a positive way.
"I'm not really interested in giving them credit, it's about what we do.
"If they win the league, you have to take your hat off to them. We know how good we are and for someone to beat us, it is a big thing. However, I'm not interested if they get praised or criticised.
"We have not fallen away. People will say it's a massive backwards step, not winning it, but it's not that.
"We are still the side to beat, still competing in every game, we have still kept our respect and dignity and we will come again. We are not a flash in the pan.
"Your standards have to be higher.
You have to keep readjusting them consistently. It's not a case of intending to win the league and when you have done it saying, 'Right, that's it'.
"Things happen. It's a good, strong league and you lose games. You have to keep reassessing. Every time we have had to take a step backwards, we try to take a couple forwards, and we have been quite good at that."
Despite constant reports of rifts in the Blues dressing room, Hart insists there is a strong bond in Mancini's squad and the character to bounce back.
Hart, who was speaking at an EA SPORTS 'FIFA 13 Ultimate Team' event, said: "I'd like to think it will bring us closer.
"The season is potentially over. Last year it went all the way - we came back, then they were leading, then we came back again and really had something to play for.
"But we are still in the FA Cup and still have that place to cement, so there is plenty to play for, but we would prefer to be snapping at their heels.
"But it's not an ideal world and the league isn't built around Manchester City. We have felt like that every time we have lost (motivation to come back stronger next season).
Bigger "It's all very well feeling like that, it's another thing doing it. We have to start well next season, after finishing this season well, then it will take care of itself.
"Losing the title is something to deal with, but we will just have to keep blasting away until the end of the year, keep trying to win and get as many points as we can to cement second and hopefully that will take us into next year.
"It's not really a bigger game. This is a big game for us. We owe it to our fans to put on a performance.
"We have not given them the highs of last year, but hopefully we can give them a good couple of results and repair a bit of the damage.
"We are still learning, but would like to learn fast. When we have had a backwards step, we really try to push on.
"You never know. It looks beyond us now but we need to take second place and go into the FA Cup semi-final feeling good."
Hart has been singled out for criticism more than once from Mancini, but the former Shrewsbury star insists he has to take it on the chin because it is part and parcel of being at such a high-profile club.
He added: "We have had a lot of focus on us for a while, both positive and negative.
"We have had a lot of interesting things happen at the training ground, but that has gone on for a few years now, so nothing has really changed.
"It is what it is and you can take it how you want.
"If you have done something wrong, you take the criticism from those who matter to you, and everyone else is free to speak how they want to speak. Football is global and highly talked about, so, in everything that is said, not all of it is going to be good.
"I don't care about fair or unfair. I know how I am and what I take on board and what I don't.
"People will criticise you unfairly and then sometimes you get away with things and have to criticise yourself.
Board "I'm not concerned if people pick up on it as there are certain people I care about and others I am not particularly interested in.
"You can't feel like a victim, we are not victims, we are right at the top, playing hard and working hard.
"There is a lot placed on each other's shoulders in terms of the dressing room, regardless of what is said outside. The boys take on board from the people whom they need to take on board from. The rest can say what they want."
