Joe Hart showed that Claudio Bravo is not the only Manchester City keeper capable of dropping crosses – as his Italian exile began with a blunder in Torino’s 2-1 Serie A defeat by Atalanta.
The England No 1 flapped at a corner to gift Andrea Masiello an equaliser, just a minute after his temporary employers had taken the lead.
Bravo’s eccentric performance in the Manchester derby had left many questioning Pep Gaurdiola’s decision to loan out Hart for a year.
But if Hart’s debut error wasn’t quite as glaring as Bravo’s – when City’s Chilean new boy dropped a free-kick and allowed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score for Manchester United – then it wasn’t far short.
And unlike Bravo, Hart’s clanger was costly as Torino blew a lead and suffered defeat in Bergamo.
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Hart’s confidence has been shaken by a dismal Euro 2016 with England, followed by Guardiola’s decision to jettison him, largely because the new City boss believes he is not accomplished enough with the ball at his feet.
And after one decent early save, it was an uncomfortable start to Hart’s career with Turin’s second club – he was catcalled by home fans for his distribution, clearly struggled with communication and was only spared a battering by some wayward Atalanta finishing.
At the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia – where Atalanta walk out to ‘Whatever You Want’ by Status Quo – this was anything but the status quo for Hart.
It’s a #SerieA debut to forget for Joe Hart as his misjudged punch gifts @Atalanta_BC a goal! #AtalantaTorino https://t.co/kDgHwLq5pT
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) September 11, 2016
Hart became the first English goalkeeper to play in Serie A, with David Beckham the only other established England international to have played in Italy in the 21 century.
His first half consisted of one sharp save and two strokes of fortune.
On 21 minutes, the City loanee got down smartly to push away a cross-shot from Franck Kessie – but struck lucky when Abdoulay Konko’s follow-up effort beat him only to cannon to safety off another Atalanta forward, Mauricio Pinilla.
And just before half, Hart was all at sea when Kessie fired over from an Alejandro Gomez far-post cross.
In between, Torino boss Sinisa Mihajlovic was sent from the touchline for a rant at the officials, leaving former City assistant manager Attilio Lombardo in charge in the visitors’ dugout.
Torino’s ex-Tottenham kid Iago Falque curled home a 54th-minute free-kick – attracting a hail of missiles from Atalanta fans.
But the lead lasted only a minute when Hart stretched for a high corner but could only divert the ball to defender Masiello, who poked into an empty net.
And nine minutes from time, Atalanta were awarded a penalty for Lorenzo De Silverstri’s foul on Gomez – with Hart unable to attain hero status as he was sent the wrong way by Kessie’s cool spot-kick.
https://amazingreveal.com/blog/2016/09/11/joe-harts-italian-exile-begins-with-a-blunder-and-shows-its-not-just-claudio-bravo-who-drops-crosses/
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