Roberto Mancini glad that Joe Hart is "cocky"

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has defended goalkeeper Joe Hart against criticisms following his mistake against Poland on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old was widely held responsible for the goal that England conceded in Warsaw in their 1-1 draw against the Poles in the 2014 World Cup qualifier.

"Every keeper is like this," said Mancini. "It is important because it's different to other positions. If you want to be a keeper, you should be cocky. Joe is a good guy, he works very hard, he wants to improve.

"Last week [Wayne] Rooney said on Twitter that Joe is the best keeper in the world but today he is called cocky.

"It is my opinion that Joe is the best keeper in England and one of the best in Europe. Sometimes a keeper can make a mistake but this is normal. If you want to be a good keeper, you should be cocky sometimes."

City are at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.