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Hodgson not concerned by Hart form

ESPN staff
November 15, 2012

Roy Hodgson leapt to the defence of goalkeeper Joe Hart after he conceded four goals during England's 4-2 defeat to Sweden on Wednesday.

Hart has been England's No. 1 since the 2010 World Cup, but has come under fire for his performances for both his country and club Manchester City this season.

He was guilty of making a number of errors and his poor headed clearance led to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's stunning fourth goal at the Friends Arena.

But while Hodgson admitted it wasn't the "best of nights" for Hart, he insisted there was no cause for concern over the keeper's ability.

"We're not worried about Joe Hart," Hodgson said. "We'll have a lot of success with him in the goal, even if this wasn't one of his best nights.

"These things happen. The third goal got a slight deflection, even from distance. The fourth was an unpleasant bounce, the ball pitching up and he couldn't get the purchase on the header and it led to Zlatan scoring his acrobatic goal."

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