Hart
Joe Hart feels he has to adapt his game and come up with a different approach for one-against-one situations Reuters

England and Manchester City first choice goal keeper Joe Hart is studying footage of Spain and Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas, to improve his abilities in one-on-one situations. The 25 year old has been one of City's most consistent players this season and is one of six nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award.

However, as the summer's European Championships draw closer, Hart (who has 11 clean sheets from 17 games for England) feels he has to adapt his game and come up with a different approach for one-on-one situations - rather than stick to the traditional English style of goalkeepers rushing in and diving at the feet of the strikers, hoping they can block the shot.

"I'm trying to work out exactly how Casillas manages to react to what the forward does, instead of trying to force the striker into a decision, like I have done until now. It's better doing it his way, using your reflexes rather than trying to anticipate what is going to happen. I'm working on it - it's something I need to learn," the Daily Mail quoted the keeper as saying.

"In our league you know the forward will favour power over placement, so you can make yourself big and be fairly sure that he's going to shoot where you are covering. But more and more I'm coming across different strikers or styles of play that require just what Casillas has; quick decision-making and quick reflexes," Hart added.

The two clubs have had hugely impressive seasons so far, even if City have tailed away towards the end of the English season. Hart is keen to improve his concentration and match that of Casillas' and is studying how the World Cup-winning captain keeps himself focused when his team is dominating games.

"When your team is on top, the most difficult thing is not saving two dozen shots, but making saves when you only have to face three shots on target. It's something people don't appreciate and I've studied Casillas to see how he does it," the Englishman added.

Hart has 45 clean sheets in 119 league appearances for City so far and he will be hoping to add one more to that tally when Roberto Mancini's side travel to Wolves' Molineux Stadium on Sunday.

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