League Cup Final - Hart or Pantilimon?

[@BluePhil8]

Its a shame the most people on this thread disagree with the current manager

Well so far the manager clearly feels like Pantilimon is the number one keeper in the domestic cup competitions. It looks close, but the slight majority of people are saying Pantilimon for the final. So we are all in agreement.

 

[DTKOAG]

After the way Mancini shat on Pantillimon last year it has to be Pants..

 

[brandyzee]

Pants.

Its not necessarily he's a better keeper or that he deserves it ( he is, and does I reckon on both counts) but from what I have seen, the defence plays much better with him in nets. The defence are much more assured of themselves.

Pants also is a fabulous distributer of the ball and calms everyone down when he's in possession. Makes the right decision every time for me in terms of playing it to the right man.

Joe Hart is just not the same player anymore. Its a shame. Fortunately, Pants is more than an able replacement. Not deputy I say, but replacement.

I'd have Pants in the team in all the games from now.

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

Its a shame the most people on this thread disagree with the current manager

Well so far the manager clearly feels like Pantilimon is the number one keeper in the domestic cup competitions. It looks close, but the slight majority of people are saying Pantilimon for the final. So we are all in agreement.

Although you play your first team in cup finals and Hart is the No1 keeper so we all clearly are not
Im not bothered as I think they both have some staggering faults at the moment

 

[kun]

After the way Mancini shat on Pantillimon last year it has to be Pants..

To be fair, that was Costel's fault for gobbing off to the papers talking about how winning the FA Cup was going to be his last game for City.

 

[aguero93:20]

Pants. Think Joe is a far superior keeper but pants plays in the cups.

 

[Blue Elvis]

Pantilimon.
If nothing else to apologise for mancinis shameful decision to dump him from the fa cup final

Agreed it felt a shameful decision and still don't know reasons why but hopefully the decision this time will be on merit/tactics.

Both keepers prone to the odd flap (heart in mouth time when Pants dropped the ball v Chelsea) this season but IMHO I still feel Hart is the better stopper and Panty the better distributor. It's the same " better when we are attacking / better when we are defending" argument we have with Clichy and Kolo.
My vote on balance - Pantilimon.
CTID

 

[shemnel]

I think Joe is a better keeper despite some shortcomings that have come to light more this season but it has to be Pants in goal for the League Cup Final.

To play him every round then sack him off for someone else just for the final is a total slap in the face and i'd request a transfer for total disrespect if someone did that to me twice in one year.

 

[Vienna_70]

Pantilimon.
If nothing else to apologise for mancinis shameful decision to dump him from the fa cup final

I'm with you all the way on this, PPLF.

Apart from the fact that Costel has played most of the domestic cup games this - and last - season, it was a disgraceful decision on Mancini to leave him out for the FA Cup final, especially after he had stated that Pantilimon would play.

 

[Goatfacekillah]

I just wish we'd drop this habit of playing one keeper in league/cl games, the other in domestic cups. I think its fair enough that our second choice keeper needs to play a certain number of games each season to keep sharp. But why does it have to be this rigid approach? What would be wrong with playing Pants against Stoke tomorrow rather than against Sunderland?

Other players have contributed to our progression to the final but will not get a look in when the team to face Sunderland is picked. Its only the gk position that seems to be treated in this way. Why should the second choice keeper have a divine right to play in the final?

It's the fashion these days isn't it - all the big clubs are using the second keepers in the League Cup and, increasingly, in the FA Cup too. Even Stoke did it in the FA Cup final that we won. I think once you've gone down that route anyway the second choice keeper has to go as far as the team goes.

The issue as to whether Pants is the better overall keeper is a different subject. My 2p is that they both have relative pros and cons but there's not much in it. I like Pants' easy collection of the ball from crosses and corners but think that Hart's the better shot stopper. It's arguable which of these skills (assuming I'm correct) more better suits our style of play, given that our keepers are typically less involved than many other teams'.