England goalkeeper Joe Hart was dropped by Manchester City for Saturday's Premier League game against Norwich, paying the price for a number of recent mistakes.
The decision by City coach Manuel Pellegrini follows a string of high-profile mistakes from Hart, who has been criticized for his recent poor displays both with his club and the national team.
''I thought about this the whole week. It was not easy to take this decision,'' Pellegrini said after relegating Hart to the bench. ''At this moment we need a change, Joe needs a rest and it will be useful for him. I think Joe is a very important player, he is a great goalkeeper but everyone can have a bad moment in their career. He has it at this moment and I am sure he will improve with a bit of a rest.''
Pellegrini decided to give backup keeper Costel Pantilimon his first Premier League start after the Romanian player had a good game and made several key saves in a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the League Cup in midweek.
''He has not played before in the Premier League but has played in the Capital One Cup and FA Cup. He is a very good player, he now has his chance,'' Pellegrini said.
