The qualities of England's No1 goalkeeper Joe Hart The most fundamental quality of any goalkeeper is their athleticism and shot-stopping ability. When the manager of your biggest rivals, Sir Alex Ferguson, starts waxing lyrical about you, unprompted, during interviews with DJ Spoony you know you've got something about you. Hart was exceptional last season because he made crucial saves that proved the difference in City winning the title. "This season is why they're talking about Joe as the world's best," his team mate Gareth Barry said after a crucial last-minute save in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa. Every game he's making one or two great saves; he's going to be England's No1 for a long time. There are those goalkeepers whose mere presence can intimidate strikers into fluffing their lines in front of goal. Manchester United Peter Schmeichel's stature was such he seemed to cover the entire goal area when faced with a one-on-one situation. The similarities with Hart have been noted by his Old Trafford rivals. The City admits relying on his reflexes, relishing personal duels with attacks. "Hart makes good reaction saves and great blocks," said former United keeper Edwin van der Saar. That's a little bit the Peter Schmeichel way and that's one of his strong points. Despite only being 25, Hart is mature enough to have warranted demands for him to be named England captain. He has displayed his leadership qualities on several occasions during Manchester City's title surge. While his manager wrote off City's title chances at one stage, Hart issued the rallying cries. "There is no point in us turning up for games if the title race is over," he said when City trailed by eight points. We've still got to believe, we've still got to fight for every single point available.