Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart doesn't fancy a role on the sidelines
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Sitting next to Pellegrini at yesterday's press conference, Hart – whose fine display in City's opening match at Bayern Munich matched performances at Real Madrid and at home to Borussia Dortmund in the past three seasons – was twice offered the chance to discuss the "positives" of being rested in favour of Willy Caballero for City's last two matches – the 7-0 League Cup defeat of Sheffield Wednesday and Saturday's 4-2 league win at Hull City.
"Of course I want to play every game, that is my nature, my professionalism," he initially said. "I am not the manager, just a player. I live by the decisions of the manager."
But pressed on the "positives," of being rested, he added: "It is hard for me to see it that way. I am sure when I retire from football I will see them but right now I am not going to see them."
It was an an awkward press-conference moment and another one followed when Hart passed up the opportunity to discuss the prospects of him signing a new contract "soon" and instead turned to Pellegrini, sitting to his right, to encourage an answer.
"Me and Joe know what happens with that issue," Pellegrini said. "It is important to know how to manage it, but it is not the most important thing now." Asked how he responded, Hart muttered something unintelligible. Asked to repeat it, he said: "The same."
The sense from within the club is that City anticipate no problems in agreeing new terms with Hart, despite the fact that his own current contract is now entering its final two years, while Vincent Kompany, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have been given new deals. However, the 27-year-old said that he was ready to meet the challenge of battling Caballero for a place in the team.
"We have always had good goalkeepers since I have been here: going back to David James, [Andreas] Isaksson, Kasper [Schmeichel], Shay Given, [Costel] Pantilimon, Stuart Taylor – it has always been a fight for me to keep my place and that will continue."
Pellegrini indicated ahead of tonight's game that reaching the quarter-finals – rather than lifting the Champions League trophy – is City's aim this season and that he will not jeopardise the club's Premier League campaign by making the tournament his club's be-all and end-all.
"If we can fight for the Premier League title and get further in the Champions League, that would be progress," said the Chilean, whose side were eliminated by Barcelona in the last-16 last year. "But if we have to leave behind the Premier League to win the Champions League, then for me that isn't progress.
"It's important to progress in the Champions League, but not by forgetting the domestic league. We won't focus all we have on the Champions League and see what happens in the Premier League."
Tonight, City will seek to win an opening home game in the group stage for the first time in four attempts against a Roma team who have won their opening six games in Serie A and the Champions League.
Pellegrini, who will again be without the defensive midfield presence of Brazilian Fernando while restoring Stevan Jovetic to the squad, also said that City's French midfielder Samir Nasri has undergone groin surgery and will be out of action for a month.
Chelsea spent £30m on Diego Costa this summer, hoping he would be the man to make the difference after narrowly missing out on the Premier League and Champions League titles last season.
Everything that Costa has done so far – scoring eight goals in six league starts – has suggested that he can be that decisive influence, even more so than the brilliant Cesc Fabregas.
Except for one issue: Mourinho does not believe that Costa's hamstrings allow him to play three matches each week and so tonight, away at Sporting Lisbon, he may be rested in favour Loic Remy.
Costa has two deputies in £10.5m summer signing Remy and club legend Didier Drogba, but only Remy and Costa have travelled to Lisbon and neither the Frenchman nor the Ivorian have shone in their starts so far this season. Costa is first choice and the other two need to catch up.
Mourinho admitted, in the aftermath of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa on Saturday (Costa started and scored, naturally), that this side is "made to play with Diego", and having a different striker up front requires some recalibration of the type that will be needed at the Estadio Jose Alvalade this evening.
"If Diego can play, I play Diego," Mourinho explained. "The team had a pre-season with him. The team worked with him a lot of times. He's playing with us every match in the Premier League. So the team, at this moment, is more made to play with Diego.
"I think Remy's learning how to play with us. Didier is learning how to play again in a top competitive situation. So I would prefer to play Diego, but I'm happy with Didier and Remy, if I have to start with them, no problems."
Matchtrackers can be seen by clicking on any fixture. Before a match the tracker shows the team lineup or squad and head-to-head statistics. During the match there are two pages of live data - one showing a timeline of key events in the match as they happen -- goals, substitutions, red and yellow cards. The other, Live Statistics, shows possession, shots on target, fouls against and saves.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart wants to play every game
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart says he sees no benefits in manager Manuel Pellegrini's decision to rest him for the last two domestic games ahead of tonight's Champions League tie with Roma and has declined to discuss the fact that he has not been offered a new contract.Sitting next to Pellegrini at yesterday's press conference, Hart – whose fine display in City's opening match at Bayern Munich matched performances at Real Madrid and at home to Borussia Dortmund in the past three seasons – was twice offered the chance to discuss the "positives" of being rested in favour of Willy Caballero for City's last two matches – the 7-0 League Cup defeat of Sheffield Wednesday and Saturday's 4-2 league win at Hull City.
"Of course I want to play every game, that is my nature, my professionalism," he initially said. "I am not the manager, just a player. I live by the decisions of the manager."
But pressed on the "positives," of being rested, he added: "It is hard for me to see it that way. I am sure when I retire from football I will see them but right now I am not going to see them."
It was an an awkward press-conference moment and another one followed when Hart passed up the opportunity to discuss the prospects of him signing a new contract "soon" and instead turned to Pellegrini, sitting to his right, to encourage an answer.
"Me and Joe know what happens with that issue," Pellegrini said. "It is important to know how to manage it, but it is not the most important thing now." Asked how he responded, Hart muttered something unintelligible. Asked to repeat it, he said: "The same."
The sense from within the club is that City anticipate no problems in agreeing new terms with Hart, despite the fact that his own current contract is now entering its final two years, while Vincent Kompany, Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Sergio Aguero have been given new deals. However, the 27-year-old said that he was ready to meet the challenge of battling Caballero for a place in the team.
"We have always had good goalkeepers since I have been here: going back to David James, [Andreas] Isaksson, Kasper [Schmeichel], Shay Given, [Costel] Pantilimon, Stuart Taylor – it has always been a fight for me to keep my place and that will continue."
Pellegrini indicated ahead of tonight's game that reaching the quarter-finals – rather than lifting the Champions League trophy – is City's aim this season and that he will not jeopardise the club's Premier League campaign by making the tournament his club's be-all and end-all.
"If we can fight for the Premier League title and get further in the Champions League, that would be progress," said the Chilean, whose side were eliminated by Barcelona in the last-16 last year. "But if we have to leave behind the Premier League to win the Champions League, then for me that isn't progress.
"It's important to progress in the Champions League, but not by forgetting the domestic league. We won't focus all we have on the Champions League and see what happens in the Premier League."
Tonight, City will seek to win an opening home game in the group stage for the first time in four attempts against a Roma team who have won their opening six games in Serie A and the Champions League.
Pellegrini, who will again be without the defensive midfield presence of Brazilian Fernando while restoring Stevan Jovetic to the squad, also said that City's French midfielder Samir Nasri has undergone groin surgery and will be out of action for a month.
Diego Costa's Chelsea deputies have a lot to learn
Jose Mourinho is back in Portugal tonight, as he chases his third European Cup, but trying to find a way to win without his most important player in that quest.Chelsea spent £30m on Diego Costa this summer, hoping he would be the man to make the difference after narrowly missing out on the Premier League and Champions League titles last season.
Everything that Costa has done so far – scoring eight goals in six league starts – has suggested that he can be that decisive influence, even more so than the brilliant Cesc Fabregas.
Except for one issue: Mourinho does not believe that Costa's hamstrings allow him to play three matches each week and so tonight, away at Sporting Lisbon, he may be rested in favour Loic Remy.
Costa has two deputies in £10.5m summer signing Remy and club legend Didier Drogba, but only Remy and Costa have travelled to Lisbon and neither the Frenchman nor the Ivorian have shone in their starts so far this season. Costa is first choice and the other two need to catch up.
Mourinho admitted, in the aftermath of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa on Saturday (Costa started and scored, naturally), that this side is "made to play with Diego", and having a different striker up front requires some recalibration of the type that will be needed at the Estadio Jose Alvalade this evening.
"If Diego can play, I play Diego," Mourinho explained. "The team had a pre-season with him. The team worked with him a lot of times. He's playing with us every match in the Premier League. So the team, at this moment, is more made to play with Diego.
"I think Remy's learning how to play with us. Didier is learning how to play again in a top competitive situation. So I would prefer to play Diego, but I'm happy with Didier and Remy, if I have to start with them, no problems."
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