Joe Hart Q&A - Manchester City's goalkeeper talks Pep Guardiola, Lionel Messi, Euro 2016 and more

The Manchester City and England No.1 was speaking on The Clare Balding Show on BT Sport

Q&A: Joe Hart talks, Man City, England and more

Joe Hart has opened up about Pep Guardiola's appointment at Man City, England's chances at Euro 2016 and more.
The City and England No.1, who was speaking on The Clare Balding Show on BT Sport, also said Manuel Pellegrini's side are targeting the quadruple this season.

City face Liverpool in the Capital One Cup later this month, and Hart feels they can achieve anything as long as they takes it one game at a time.

You can read a transcript of the interview below:

BT Sport

Interview: Joe Hart on The Clare Balding Show

How would you assess the season so far for Manchester City and in terms of what you’ve got left ahead of you, because technically you still have got a chance of the quadruple?

We keep setting ourselves up but obviously it was a tough result for us at the weekend, a well-deserved result for Leicester but all the other competitions, we’re looking good. We’re in the final of the Capital One Cup, we’ve got a tough away game at Chelsea, it turns out we’ve got three really tough games in I think it’s eight days. We go to Chelsea in the FA Cup, then Kiev and then the Capital One Cup final, so that’s a big week for us but if all goes well we’re set up for a very interesting end to the season.
 
City have announced that Pep Guardiola is going to come over and take over from Pellegrini, quite unusual to make that announcement and still have such a long time in the season to go. How have the players reacted?

I think it’s good that Manuel took control of the situation, it’s obviously a situation that’s been buzzing around the club for years, ever since Txiki Begiristain, the technical director, came in there was always that strong link with Barcelona and Pep Guardiola but we’re all really comfortable. We’ve got so much going on this season that next season is light years away. Football changes so much in a week and we’ve got, like you said, four competitions to concentrate on. We’re very happy with the manager that’s in charge of us at the moment and we’re fighting on all fronts. Next season will take care of itself when it comes but until then we’ve got all sorts to take care of.

AFP/Getty

Old and new: Pep Guardiola and Manuel Pellegrini

The news came out in the press but presumably the players were told first were you, was there a team meeting called?
 
Yes, we speak every morning, it’s one of the things that the manager does. At the start of training he always addresses us, talks about games coming up or something and yes, he laid it out to us pretty much I’m sure how he laid it out in the press conference, quite casually told us that he has been in control of the situation, he’s always been aware and it was the right time to tell us and he was going to let everyone know later.
He [Manuel] is a good guy. Football aside, I’ve always got on well with him on a personal point of view and I’ve liked the way that he’s done things and it will be sad to see him go but it is obviously a new chapter for the club but, like I say, that’s next season and this season we’ve got Manuel as our manager and we’re going to fight for him all the way.

 
For someone who has played, as you have, at the highest levels for your club and country, you have come up against the world’s best strikers. Who for you is top of the tree?

I think there is a very high standard out there but I think Messi is the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo is absolutely fantastic what he’s done throughout the years and probably in another generation maybe he’d nick that title off me but from personal experience, he’s the best.

Reuters / Darren Staples

Highlight: Lionel Messi has his penalty saved by Hart

Is he very difficult to read, Messi? Are you never sure which way he’ll go?

Yes, I think he just … it’s more the way he just dominates the game and it’s hard because every single team that plays against him will have a specific plan about Lionel Messi and every single game he scores two or three goals so I think it’s just the fact that he can adapt and he changes for different situations. People probably try and get up tight against him, even hurt him – that doesn’t work so then they back off and see what he’s going to do and that doesn’t work and then you’re stuck 50/50 and he’s free to do as he pleases.
 
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So it is quite a big thing in your life to have saved a penalty from Messi, which you’ve done?

Yes, that was a good moment because we were down to ten men and we were losing 2-1 with an away leg coming, that was the last minute of the game so it was important I did it. It turned out it was all in vain because we lost the second leg but it was a big moment. I literally study before every game the penalty takers and who is most likely, so yes, that was no different.
 
If it happened that England needed you to take one then, you’d be comfortable with that?

Yes, always. I said it in the Euros in 2012 and Gaz Neville swatted me off. I understand why I’m down the order because the majority of teams that I play in have got at least eight or nine better outfield players than me but I always… I’ll always put myself forward but a lot of players do. People miss penalties, as is evident in the past but I’ll always put myself there but I think it’s more important that I concentrate on trying to save them in the first place. 

England head to the European championships, Joe, 20 years after last reaching the semi-finals of the European championships, the last major league successful tournament so tell us what we should be believing. Give us hope, Joe!

Yes, hope, the hope’s always there and when we strip it back we’ve all complained about England over the years and even if I wasn’t playing or involved I’d want England to do well but we have gone into so many tournaments looking good. It’s a tough one because I genuinely believe we have a huge chance, I really do personally knowing the squad like I do, knowing the management, the setup, what we are capable of but you could have reversed back two years, four years and had another England member of the squad sat her saying the same thing. So it is the same things said but the belief is there, genuinely. It is up to everybody how they perceive the summer and if they want to get behind us because we respect that over the years we’ve not done great. We’ve got an awful lot of support and maybe let a few people down but we really do believe we’ve got a strong squad, we’re really excited and we’re so hungry. I can especially speak for myself personally but I am so hungry to really do it on an international level, on a stage and bring something back and make people proud of English football.
 
So will you approach that tournament any differently, is there anything that you have learnt from your previous experiences where you’ll say right, this time I’m going to do this?

I am going to try not to let any goals in, first and foremost, hopefully that will help. It’s a long way off, we spoke about it before, the summer’s a long way off and there’s an awful lot to deal with clubwise but when it comes to the summer it’s tough because the last two tournaments I’ve played in we lost on penalties, the last European tournament and the World Cup was, I think it was actually the worst that England have ever done technically but both games that we lost I think were Uruguay and Italy and if we’d have won that game there wouldn’t have had no questions so step up and do it and shut up basically is what I’m thinking.
 
Watch the full interview with Joe Hart on The Clare Balding Show Thursday from 8.00pm on BT Sport 2.