In an interview with the official Liverpool Football Club website last month, Liverpool Assistant Manager Steve Clarke admitted that Manchester City's Joe Hart is the 'number one goalkeeper in England'. It follows that - by extension - Clarke thinks that Hart is better than Pepe Reina. Is he right?
To avoid confusion and denial (!), here is an audio file of the relevant section of Clarke's interview.
In response to Clarke's comments, I conducted a poll on this site to find out what Liverpool fans thought, and although it was a very close call, Joe Hart won the vote by a very narrow majority:
* Hart: 50.2%
* Reina: 49.8%
It's a surprising result considering Reina was recently voted the greatest Liverpool goalkeeper of all time (!) by viewers of Liverpool's official TV channel. It's good to see some objectivity going on when it comes to assessing the best.
Who actually is the best though? Here are some league stats for both keepers this season:
Goals Conceded - Hart 19 | Reina 23
Clean Sheets - Hart 11 | Reina 10
Saves - Hart 71 | Reina 64
Reina has made a few costly mistakes this season so I would agree that Hart is currently the best.
Jaimie Kanwar
To avoid confusion and denial (!), here is an audio file of the relevant section of Clarke's interview.
In response to Clarke's comments, I conducted a poll on this site to find out what Liverpool fans thought, and although it was a very close call, Joe Hart won the vote by a very narrow majority:
* Hart: 50.2%
* Reina: 49.8%
It's a surprising result considering Reina was recently voted the greatest Liverpool goalkeeper of all time (!) by viewers of Liverpool's official TV channel. It's good to see some objectivity going on when it comes to assessing the best.
Who actually is the best though? Here are some league stats for both keepers this season:
Goals Conceded - Hart 19 | Reina 23
Clean Sheets - Hart 11 | Reina 10
Saves - Hart 71 | Reina 64
Reina has made a few costly mistakes this season so I would agree that Hart is currently the best.
Jaimie Kanwar
Joe Hart barely got any criticism for the amount of mistakes he made in the CL group games this season. I guess you have to be 'flavour of the month' to get criticism of the media. Once upon a time it was Cech, post-head injury, Ben Foster, Pepe in his early days at Pool and now its that young lad the Mancs have De Gayer. I would argue that Hart has made as many mistakes as Reina this season.
ReplyDeleteHe is a good young keeper Joe Hart but he hasn't been that great this season. Vorm, Krul and Friedel have been better for me this season. Out of Reina and Hart this season, not much to choose between them and I'll go with Reina
Joe Hart by a long shot unforunately :(
ReplyDeleteSadly, Hart is on current form.
ReplyDeleteI agree joe hart not that much in it but those couple of blunders did;nt help pepe,still a great keeper tho
ReplyDeleteYou've obviously just been watching MOTD highlights of Joe. The guy is immense.
ReplyDeletecertainly pepe reina is the most complete goalkeeper in the world
ReplyDeleteif you go on whos better this season then i say hart but to say hart is better than reina then thats wrong pepe is a great keeper and hes just havin a bit of a bad season all round i say pepe is better if you look at the past because you cant look at joes past he still so young he in form now lets see if he can keep it up coz we all no pepe when he in form is a lot better than joe hart is now but joe your a great keeper mate.
ReplyDeletehart for me.
ReplyDeletehe has everything,great at coming for crosses-prefers to catch than punch.
excellent shot stopper and great organiser.
pepe isn't far behind him but is more prone to silly mistakes.
Reina wins hands down on ALL fronts simply cos he's won more, played at the top level longer and has MANY more golden glove awards. How can any legitimate footy fan evenask the question?!
ReplyDeleteit's open to debate.
ReplyDeletepepe has won a world cup and european championship without playing a game.
he's won an fa cup in england,same as hart.
i think you should get off your high horse mate by questioning who's 'legitimate' and who isn't.
have you seen hart play in person?
i have,top keeper.
Current form pal, current form...
ReplyDeleteHarte is acclaimed by the press due to him being English.Last week against Villa his distribution was poor and he was very lucky not to concede an injury time equaliser due to him allowing the ball to spill from his grasp.Harte to me has got lucky he spreads himself in one on one situations hoping the ball will hit him rather than watching the ball.Hartes mental strength must come into question against Napoli he was at fault for 2 goals and the amount of goals he lets in at his near post proves his weakness.Reina is much more agile has better distribution has the greater mental strength and has proven he is world class unlike Harte.
ReplyDeletehe still kept a clean sheet in that match.
ReplyDeletehe made a mistake in the champs league,so what? keepers make mistakes.
if we were to list all reina's mistakes we'd have people saying he's shite.
his mistake against fulham cost us the game.
remember him pratically throwing the ball in the net against everton a few years ago?
keepers mistakes are highlighted.
reina is world class,so is hart.
on current form hart edges it.
Joe is 24. A baby for a goalie. You ain't seen nothing yet.
ReplyDeleteIf I was watching MOTD highlights, I would not see the mistakes as I like I said/implied he is not flavour of the month in terms of media criticism. Secondly, I said Champions League errors, since when did MOTD show highlights of Champions League? Thirdly, MOTD have rarely, if not at all, criticised Hart this season.
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to try and be smartarse, than do better please as that was pathetic
Wat you all need to realize is that the player's that do all the hard work are the for eign bit the English players get all the headlines. That is why the England team has not won anything when on international duty all the foreign players are not there to do the heavy lifting...
ReplyDeleteHart by a long shot better goalie player for a far superior team
ReplyDeleteThe Stat of Reina keeping 10 clean sheets to Hart's 11 this season and we are still 21 points behind City is crazy!
ReplyDeleteHaha, top reply Chan.
ReplyDeleteReina is only in his 20s and Reina has 3 golden gloves,a champions league final apperance a world cup winners medal a european champs winners medal a fa cup medal,what was that one thing that harte has won remind me iv forgot
ReplyDelete'Joe Hart barely got any criticismfor the amount of mistakes he made in the CL' Whay mistakes were they? I don't think any were acredited to him.
ReplyDeleteSorry? What on earth is that to do with Joe Hart's goalkeeping talents? Noting, it would seem to me.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Manuel_Reina#Early_career
ReplyDeleteAt 24 what had Reina won?
The FA Cup
At 24 what has Joe won
The FA Cup
And your point was?
Reina's first silverware was the FA Cup with Liverpool, aged 24.
ReplyDeleteHart's first silverware was the FA Cup with City, aged 24. Or possibly 23, can't be bothered to look it up really, so blinkered and tribal are many of the people posting here. What you write shows that in fact you know 'eff all about Reina's early career.
And - he's 30 this year. Lets see what Joe has won when he's 30 shall we? Instead of this pathetic pissing contest. FFS.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about last season, when Hart got the golden glove ?
ReplyDeleteHe is by far the best keeper in the prem, and Reina dosnt get in the top 3 for me.
lol, WOW, Well for me it must be schmeichel, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CURRENT FORM. Last years golden glove, and current form this season, it is Hart hands down...
ReplyDeleteReina never played 1 game for his world cup medal, he didnt play 1 game for his european champs medal, and an FA CUP hart is the current holder, the GOLDEN GLOVE, Again Hart is the current holder. Seems to me you never had anything to remember to forget you fool.
ReplyDeleteHere is the question you should all be asking yourself. Who would I want as my keeper? If you think about it that way, there is no question Hart is the #1 choice. At the tender age of 24, Hart is an immense keeper and I surely wouldn't trade him for any keeper in the prem
ReplyDeleteWhy havnt they criticised Hart... Hmmmmm maybe thats because he has made few mistakes.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe he is English and the media need something English to boast about.....as per usual.
ReplyDeletePhil Jones has made nearly the same amount of mistakes as David Luiz, when both have played at centre back for Mancs and Chelsea, respectively. Yet Luiz gets ripped to pieces by the media, whilst Jones get bigged up as the next big thing. Difference between the two? One is English and one is isn't.
Was Hart playing for Barcelona at 18?
ReplyDeleteBoth are great keepers it is clean sheets that keepers like to be judged on not trophies.
This is hilarious. Reina was better in his younger days. The question was about who is the better keeper NOW, which can only allow you to judge on this season and possibly last season. It wasn't, who was the best keeper 3 years ago. Stop living in the past, they are both great keepers, the stats speak for themselves, Hart all the way, just like last season...it's no contest at the moment
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head, the Napoli. He made mistakes against Villareal and Bayern but because of other saves and criticism getting deflected upon defence, he barely got any grief for it. Not CL, in the game against red Mancs (Shield game I think), both keepers made a similar mistake (Hart for the first goal), yet Hart barely got a mention over it. Hart made a big mistake against Wolves too as he spilled the long shot, which led to Kompany trying to clean up Hart's mess, by trying to stop Doyle but he got a red card and conceded penalty. He gives away too many rebound opportunities for a so-called top keepers, as seen against Bayern and Villareal (Cani goal). That is his big weakness, he does it too many times for it to be a coincidence. One thing saving a shot, another putting the ball in a more safe area when saving it
ReplyDeleteSome players can do no wrong/right for a long while in the media's eyes, regardless of contradictory moments in games.
What these two keepers have to their advantage is a stable defence.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we have been able to start Skrtel-Agger in so many games.
Stability in front of keepers is vital, for clean sheets.
To be fair, Reina sat on his arse for the WC.
ReplyDeleteStupid to ask Liverpool fans, shouldnt even ask City fans either because bias will always play a huge part.
ReplyDeleteYou ask a neutral fanbase including United fans and they will say Hart all day long, league position and statistics show hes better than Reina and how old is Joe Hart exactly?
Joe Hart will become the best goalkeeper in Europe soon which is good for England, but then why would the majority of Liverpools fanbase agree (non-English)?
Joe will eclypse Van Der Sar, Casillas, and all the other best keepers in the world eventually, after England rid themselves of English flops like Wayne Rooney, Glen Johnson, Ferdinand and Young with the arrival of young players like Harry Bunn we will start to hit World Cup finals.
Like all those other English goalies who played for Barca at 18, you mean? Agreed - clean sheets for me is what counts for a goalie.
ReplyDeleteTo settle this down, I think they are both fantastic goalies - but I also wouldn't swap Joe for Pepe!
I'm glad Hart is English! England have a world class keeper since Seaman.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Hart is better than Casillas at Real Madrid and if that's the case then he's better than Reina because Reina is only 3rd choice Spanish keeper behind Victor Valdes also. Now Chan has that got something to do with the media shaggin Hart because he's english? No. You'll be sayin Andy Carroll is better than Sergio Aguero next.....
ReplyDeleteYou have to be in the CL to make mistakes in it.
ReplyDeleteIt's politics that puts Reina behind Casillas in the pecking order. Reina is easily better than Valdez or Casillas. But Joe Hart probably isn't human. Balotelli's t-shirt said 'Why always me?' Joe Hart's t-shirt under his kit probably has a huge yellow diamond with a red 'S' on it.
ReplyDeleteIf not for Joe Hart, we would have beaten Man City not once, but twice, and possibly even three times. Skrtel and Agger definitely shade it over Kompany and whoever his partner happens to be. That we're behind them for least goals shipped must therefore be down to Hart.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's not about trophies. Hart will probably never win an international trophy, but he's never had and will never have the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso in the national squad with Cesc Fabregas to warm the bench.
ReplyDeleteEngland won't be winning anything for a long time, but not because the players lack quality. In part, they will be destroyed by the media, who will work their magic not only on the players but the coach too and in part from the English squad's inability to function as a team rather than as a collection of individuals. The Germany is the perfect example of unspectacular players who are able to beat almost anyone except Spain, and that is down to teamwork. Unfortunately for Germany, not only does Spain operate brilliantly as a team, almost every player is world class.
ReplyDeleteTo sum all this up, both Hart and Reina are top, top keepers.
ReplyDeleteAs for Pastors comment about Skrtl and Agger Vs Kompany, please don't show yourself for a muppet. Kompany has been the centre piece of a defence that has been the best in the Prem for the last 2 seasons, each time with a different partner.
Fantastic remark! Hart is the best by miles!!!!!
ReplyDeletei think you just need to watch the man city games v liverpool in league and cup to remind yourself of the difference in class mate
ReplyDeleteCasillas > Reina, especially when at the top of the game. Some of the outrageous saves that Casillas makes are saves Reina and Valdes wouldn't even be able to conjure up in their dreams.
ReplyDeleteok, so I should ignore the mistakes in the CL games and Wolves game, just concentrate on the good games of Hart and pretend all is well....
ReplyDeleteand he was.....in the group stages this season.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say nice try but that was rubbish.
I must be a muppet for not realising Kompany was on loan at Man U for the 09-10 season! City has 4 world class holding midfielders(Barry, De Jong, Hargreaves, Toure), out of which 2 will begin almost every game. With Lucas out for us more than half the season, we've only had Spearing who is nowhere near those 4. This is also our first season with Agger and Skrtel partnering each other regularly. Therefore, that City has conceded marginally more shots at goal despite significantly superior protection for the defence does translate to Agger and Skrtel shading it over Kompany and partner. Mancini was also very fond of starting all of Barry, De Jong and Toure together last season. I am sure that played no small part in tying Chelsea for best defence last season.
ReplyDeleteAh I didn't realise you were also Mr Pedantic Pastor Muppet, OK the last two seasons so far (ie this season and last)
ReplyDeleteSo your excuse is, the rest of your team are crap, right?
Kompany's performances are all because he has better players in front of him, if Skeletor and Agger are the best, that must call into question your assertations about Reina as, he's playing behind the two best defenders in the Prem ergo, he's protected and its not his keeping thats so good, its the defenders in front of him?
Theres no need to pretend to Chan.
ReplyDeleteKompany is probably in our top 4 most influential players along with silva, hart, and toure, he was also player of the year for us last year, and Alan 'pick a weakness in any defender' Hansen, thinks hes the the most complete centre half in the league. He's way better than those 2 you mentioned Pastor
ReplyDelete