Pep Guardiola Sesali Keputusan Singkirkan Joe Hart dari Manchester City

Manajer Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, mengutarakan penyesalan mendalam terkait keputusan masa lalunya terhadap Joe Hart. Seperti dikutip dari Bola, arsitek tim asal Spanyol itu mengaku bersalah karena tidak memberikan kesempatan bagi sang penjaga gawang untuk unjuk gigi di bawah arahannya.

Langkah mendepak kiper utama tersebut diambil tak lama setelah Guardiola tiba di Etihad Stadium pada 2016. Performa kurang meyakinkan Hart bersama Timnas Inggris di Euro 2016 menjadi salah satu pemicu sang pelatih mencoretnya dari rencana jangka panjang klub.

Guardiola kala itu meragukan efektivitas distribusi bola yang dimiliki Hart. Mantan pelatih Barcelona ini menginginkan sosok penjaga gawang yang lihai mengawali skema serangan dari lini pertahanan. Catatan akurasi umpan Hart yang hanya menyentuh 52,6 persen pada musim sebelumnya memperkuat alasan manajemen mendatangkan Claudio Bravo.

Hart tercatat hanya tampil sekali di bawah asuhan Guardiola saat menghadapi Steaua Bucharest di kualifikasi Liga Champions. Setelah pertandingan tersebut, ia langsung dilepas dengan status pinjaman ke klub Italia, Torino. Kebijakan ini sempat menuai gelombang protes mengingat kontribusi besar Hart dalam merengkuh dua trofi Premier League.

Setelah hampir sepuluh tahun berlalu, Guardiola akhirnya membuka suara mengenai ketidakadilannya di masa lalu.

"I want to admit it, I have a regret. When you make so many decisions, you definitely make mistakes," kata Guardiola kepada Sky Sports.

"There is one regret I have kept for years, which is that I didn't give Joe Hart the chance to be with me and prove how good he was as a goalkeeper," ungkapnya.

"I should have done it. It doesn't mean I don't respect Claudio or Ederson who came after because they were very important."

"But, at that time, I should have been able to say, 'Okay Joe, let's try together. If it really doesn't work, then we change.'"

"But, life goes that way. Sometimes I have to make decisions, and sometimes I'm not fair enough," imbuh Guardiola.

Respons Dewasa dari Joe Hart

Hart yang kini berusia 39 tahun memberikan tanggapan langsung saat bertugas sebagai pengamat sepak bola menjelang laga pamungkas Manchester City kontra Aston Villa pada Minggu (24-5-2026). Mantan penjaga gawang nomor satu Inggris itu mengaku terkejut dengan pernyataan sang manajer.

"First of all, I really didn't expect it. And maybe it means bigger to me than I thought," kata Hart.

"I like Pep, my relationship with Pep is fine. We shook hands 10 years ago when he told me that I was not the choice he wanted."

"He explained the reasons, and I also explained why I felt I deserved to be kept. We agreed to disagree, but in the end he was the one with the power," jelasnya.

Hart tidak menyimpan dendam dan justru memberikan apresiasi tinggi atas capaian luar biasa yang diukir Guardiola bersama skuad Manchester City.

"And look at that, he's doing fine, isn't he? He's an amazing manager. I liked him before that happened, and I still like him now," ujarnya.

"We have worked together, talked together, and met each other again after that. But, I did feel good enough to at least be given a chance."

"That's football, that's life. I don't hold any hatred and don't see any problem with that," ucap Hart.

"My life moved on. I got a lot of amazing opportunities and still had a great career after leaving Manchester City," lanjutnya.

Pria yang memutuskan gantung sepatu pada akhir musim 2023/2024 itu menegaskan bahwa satu momen pahit tidak akan melunturkan rasa cintanya kepada pihak klub.

"I will always be grateful for everything I got at Manchester City," katanya.

"I'm often asked, 'How do you feel about Manchester City?' Just because of one bad moment, do I forget all the amazing moments with this club?"

"I appreciate Pep as a human being. He did what he thought he had to do and said what he wanted to say."

"But, I still look forward to shaking hands with him and wishing him the best," imbuh Hart.

Sikap suportif yang ditunjukkan oleh Hart menuai banjir pujian dari para penggemar di jagat maya. Banyak netizen menilai reaksi tersebut mencerminkan kematangan emosional dan menegaskan statusnya sebagai legenda sejati.