World Cup 2018: Should Joe Hart be in England World Cup squad in Russia
This article was originally published on April 27th 2018. England boss Gareth Southgate will announce his 23-man World Cup squad on Wednesday 16th May 2018.
West Ham United played out a 1-1 draw with Stoke City at the London Stadium on Monday night in a game that could have ended up so much worse for the hosts.
Peter Crouch struck on 79 minutes for Stoke, with Joe Hart's error nearly proving costly for his side.
Once again, the issue of England's goalkeeper crisis came to the forefront of conversation, with the third spot in the squad seemingly set for Hart.
It’s around a month away from Gareth Southgate naming his England squad for the tournament, but should the former Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper be a part of his plans?
Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford are, barring injury, guaranteed features in the World Cup side, leaving one spot up for grabs amongst a number of contenders.
Tom Carnduff assesses Hart's chances and explores the alternative options for a spot in the 23-man travelling party.
Why are there questions surrounding his inclusion?
He may have a wealth of experience of international football, but Hart's critics seemingly get louder as time progresses.
The 30-year-old, who is 2/5 to make England's World Cup squad, remains under-contract at Manchester City until the summer of 2019 yet it is unlikely we'll see him feature for the Premier League champions again.
Loan spells away at Italian side Torino and now West Ham show how far down he is in Pep Guardiola's plans.
Monday night wasn't the first time that Hart's goalkeeping had been drawn into question, and whilst boss David Moyes defended him after the game, he was replaced by second-choice Adrian back in November.
He may have been reinstated as number one, but the performances haven't returned to previous heights.
To Hart's credit, he played a crucial role in gaining West Ham an unlikely point away at Chelsea, but the consistency in performance is few and far between.
In the chaotic scenes that overran the London Stadium in the defeat to Burnley, Hart's mistake for the third goal may have gone unnoticed, but it highlights the bumpy patch that he currently finds himself on.
Stats don't lie
Unfortunately for Hart, the statistics don't make for pretty reading.
According to Opta, he has made four errors leading to goals in just 18 league games this season, averaging one every 4.5 games.
Butland on the other hand, has made just one in 31 Premier League games. Pickford has failed to make a single costly error in 34 games, with Ben Foster, Nick Pope and Tom Heaton all on the same number.
Pope's statistics overshadow Hart's considerably. He has a better save percentage across the board, alongside a significantly higher number of crosses claimed. In comparison with those around him, stats are not on the side of England's former stalwart.
Can they afford to gamble on such a big stage? Hart may end up being the third choice in Russia, but there always remains the possibility that he could be called into action.
Would the experience help?
One of the positive arguments for Hart's inclusion is the experience he has at this level.
Since his debut in June 2008, the West Ham man has gone onto make 75 appearances for his country, including playing at numerous tournaments.
He was an unused sub in South Africa in 2010 before playing every minute during Euro 2012.
Hart then played two of the three games in England's unsuccessful stint at the Brazil World Cup in 2014 so it's fair to say he knows what to expect in Russia.
However, if England had reached the latter stages of any of these tournaments then this argument would have greater strength.
The furthest that the Three Lions have gone with Hart in net is the quarter-finals of a European Championship. Now that is no criticism of Hart and its not saying that he is firmly to blame, but there's not much he brings to the table in terms of 'successful' experience.
Do Burnley provide the alternatives?
A couple of names have been mentioned above, but the stand-out candidate remains Nick Pope.
The Burnley stopper has enjoyed a remarkable season that has seen him flourish in Tom Heaton's absence.
So much so that the 25-year-old earned a spot in the most recent round of England's international friendlies.
He remains at 9/4 with Sky Bet to make the World Cup squad despite Hart's most recent errors which seems high value given the prime position he finds himself in.
With Pope's wonderful form for his club, it would seem baffling for him to end up watching the World Cup from home, as opposed to being a part of the travelling party.
To make England World Cup 2018 squad (odds via Sky Bet)
- Jack Butland - 1/20
- Jordan Pickford - 1/20
- Joe Hart - 2/5
- Nick Pope - 9/4
- Tom Heaton - 6/1
- John Ruddy - 16/1
Thirty games have seen him make no costly errors, highlighting the consistency in performance throughout the duration of the campaign.
Unfortunately for Pope, he finds himself rivalling Heaton for the number one spot at his club and the bad news is that he will most likely return to the bench next season as the former Bristol City stopper returns to full fitness.
Heaton could potentially be in contention for a spot in Russia as well.
He may just be returning from a long-term absence, but there is no doubting the quality and ability that he possesses.
Heaton is no stranger to the England set-up and has featured in friendlies against Spain, France and Australia in recent years.
The 32-year-old can be found at 6/1 to make Gareth Southgate's squad for Russia, and despite a lengthy injury would still be a decent addition to the 23.
Who else could be in the running?
There are a few outsiders in contention to make the squad and I'd start off by looking at the Sky Bet Championship.
Wolves have enjoyed a stand-out season that, at the time of writing, sees them already promoted and just one point off being confirmed as champions.
John Ruddy has been a constant feature in their backline and was rewarded with a spot in the EFL Team of the Season following a fantastic campaign.
He's a big price at 16/1 to be a part of the World Cup squad, but it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to travel alongside Butland and Pickford.
West Brom stopper Foster is also another potential inclusion, albeit an unlikely one.
His performance at Old Trafford caught the eye of many as he helped West Brom pick up three points away at Manchester United.
He may feature for the Premier League's basement club and a side who are heading to the Sky Bet Championship, but the fact that he has made no errors leading to goals shows that he still possesses the talent to play at the top-level.
If experience is required in Hart's absence, Foster may be able to provide it.
Granted, he has not featured for England in recent years, but he has been in and around the squad since his debut in July 2007 and knows what is required when it comes to major tournaments.
Would it be a disaster for Hart to feature?
In all honesty, it wouldn't be a huge problem if Hart was to be a part of Southgate's 23-man squad.
At best, he'll be going as third-choice goalkeeper and the chances of him featuring in any game are minimal.
England would be incredibly unlucky if they found themselves in a situation where their third-choice goalkeeper was required to play, and even then, Hart would be able to do the job required of him.
It does though come down to the principal of selection and good performances warranting a position of representing your country.
With interest in the national side dwindling as time progresses, the selection of someone with so many questions surrounding his performances would not sit well with the supporters.
Especially when it'd lead to Nick Pope, the Premier League's in-form goalkeeper, missing out on the experience.
It's a dilemma for Southgate, but one that can be resolved with a common sense approach.
Odds correct at 1045 BST (17/04/18)
Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLife
Related football links
MOST READ FOOTBALL
FOOTBALL TIPS
