Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 9y

Joe Hart credits Man City defence amidst ever-changing personnel

Joe Hart has rejected suggestions that Manchester City have defensive problems by pointing to their recent run of clean sheets.

City have only let in one goal in their last six games and have not conceded in 431 minutes, despite fielding an ever-changing defence in front of goalkeeper Hart.

With captain Vincent Kompany injured, Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Eliaquim Mangala and Aleksandar Kolarov formed the back four in Saturday's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Bacary Sagna, Dedryck Boyata and Gael Clichy have also figured in City's winning run and Hart believes they are well organised.

"We're a good defensive team," he said. "We change it a lot but that's who we are. It's no surprise when the back four changes, it's nothing new to us, we train and work hard as a unit. I thought Martin and Mangala were brilliant and Aleks and Zaba were good at the back and brilliant going forward."

Hart, who signed a new contract to keep him at City until 2019, is determined to maintain his own fine form.

"I feel in a good place," he added. "I feel I'm in a place where I should be and it's a level I want to keep. We're all aware that last season didn't go according to plan for a tiny bit of the season but that makes me a better goalkeeper. I'm coming to a good age now and really enjoying being here."

Manager Manuel Pellegrini brought in competition for Hart in the summer when Willy Caballero joined from his former club Malaga.

But the England international said: "I spur myself on. Willy has been great to me, I think he's been a great professional and I think we appreciate in our squad that every player is important, on match day, on training day, I think we're all as important as each other and the managers stresses that. I think Willy is just as important as all of us."

With City short of strikers, midfielder James Milner has been used as an emergency attacker but Hart joked that the former Aston Villa man could take over from him.

He said: "I know James plays in goal, I know he plays right-back. That's the good and bad thing because people just expect him to be able to do things. He's a fantastic player, he's really important for us and I think he was brilliant [against Palace]."

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