Massimo Battara is a long-serving member of the Blues’ manager’s backroom team and now serves as City’s goalkeeping coach, so he is in a great position to judge Shay against the top-quality stoppers he has come across before moving to City.
“I agree with Roberto, and have thought the same myself for some time,” Massimo declares. “Shay shows just how good he is in every match and I think he is alongside keepers as good as Julio Cesar or Gianluigi Buffon. But he is still happy to learn, since coming to City I have tried to help him with my experience and Shay is a good listener. You have to make important decisions as a goalkeeper and Shay usually makes the right ones.
Shay is like a wall! He is in the right place at the right time, but he can change direction very quickly, and he talks to his defensive line all the time.
...Massimo Battara on Shay Given...
“With all his experience from playing internationals, he is an excellent example of how a goalkeeper should be. He also sets a great example for the rest of the team, and it’s important that they know they can rely on him.”
There’ll be much more from Massimo next week in an exclusive interview that will be available to view for free, like all the other great video content on mcfc.co.uk.
