Manchester City

David James: 'Pep Guardiola right to sign Claudio Bravo in place of Joe Hart'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 01 February 2017

Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James defends Pep Guardiola's decision to sign Claudio Bravo and send Joe Hart out on loan last summer.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James has said that he believes Pep Guardiola was right to allow Joe Hart to leave the club having brought in Claudio Bravo last summer.

Hart was the most high-profile casualty of Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad Stadium, with the England number one being sent out on loan to Torino following the £17m arrival of Bravo from Barcelona.

Bravo's performances this season have been heavily criticised, though, leading to suggestions that Guardiola was wrong to allow Hart to leave the club, but James believes that the current City number one has been harshly treated by critics.

"I think if you had asked me 'was it a good decision?' before it had happened I would have said: 'no, give Joe a chance to prove that he's not good enough for you in any capacity that might be.' However, I go back to what Pep wanted to do – the style of football – he's stuck with it, he's still doing it, in the face of a lot of criticism," James told Squawka.

"When you look at the strengths of Bravo compared to Joe Hart, I think Joe has got many different strengths to what Bravo has got. Bravo's biggest strength is his ability with his feet. His distribution is fantastic, very, very, very good.

"Now when he's doing something that the manager wants and he's better at it than anyone else, then you understand why Joe's not playing, and to have Joe as a number two wouldn't have made any sense. Yes, 100%, [Bravo] has been overly-criticised.. Unfortunately and this is the way the game works – I've been there myself – there needs to be a fall guy in every story and the goalkeeper is the easiest one.

"The side, for one reason or another, isn't doing this to the levels that he wants, because otherwise they would be top of the league. Inevitably, because of their attack-minded system as well, they are vulnerable at the back and I think that Bravo has conceded so many goals where he has just literally been exposed."

Bravo has conceded from each of the last six shots on target he has faced.