Joe Hart makes fascinating observation about World Cup ball that players could exploit immediately

Joe Hart has been on punditry duty for the World Cup this summer with the BBC, and he has noticed one fine detail that players could come to exploit throughout the tournament.

The former England international only ever appeared at one World Cup as a player, the 2014 tournament in Brazil when Roy Hodgson’s side finished bottom of their group.

However, he was part of the England squad that travelled to take part in the 2010 competition in South Africa, but Rob Green and David James were preferred over him by Fabio Capello.

Fans will remember the controversy around the 2010 World Cup and the Jabulani ball used for the tournament, as it caused havoc for goalkeepers with the unpredictable nature of its flight when struck by a player.

It led to several memorable unique goals in the tournament, including Giovanni van Bronckhorst's for the Netherlands against Uruguay and Maicon's for Brazil against North Korea.

Hart, who will have faced strikes from his England teammates during the 2010 World Cup, now believes keepers are facing a similar difficulty this tournament from long-range efforts due to the ball.

Speaking on the BBC about Croatia’s first goal against England, he said: “I honestly feel like this ball is coming onto the goalkeepers a lot faster than they feel it is off the foot.

“Now, what you notice with this is Jordan Pickford flies at this ball, and he just doesn't. You'll ask, ‘Why has he gone with his thumb rather than his hand?’

“It just feels like it is on him.”

Hart then showed several other examples, believing keepers are not getting their timing right when attempting to save the ball from long-range efforts as the ball is coming at them faster through the air, suggesting the ball could be the issue.

Players may be able to exploit this going through the competition, knowing that keepers may struggle to save the ball, with it being made different for this competition.

The Trianda ball is like none we have seen before, as it has live sensors to send data directly to VAR to help detect touches, track movement and assist with important decisions.

It has also been made with only four panels instead of the usual 32, meaning it does impact the flight of the ball when struck.

Reaction to Joe Hart’s analysis from fans

The analysis from Hart has been widely praised by fans across social media, and were pleased to hear the insight from a professional goalkeeper on this issue.

One fan said: “Joe Hart knows because he is a fully experienced keeper.”

Another added: “Makes so much sense! Yes, goalkeepers have great games in this World Cup, but I’ve seen many mistakes where people can’t hold simple balls and concede on the rebound. I understand now.”

Fans also tried to explain the reason as to why it may be travelling faster when struck, believing it to be because of the chip inside the Trianda.

One fan wrote: “This means that the heavier side of the ball will be facing the goalkeeper after a couple of seconds, which increases its speed.”

While several fans spoke about the sensors being a conspiracy by FIFA to control the ball and lead to more goals through the competition.

A fan said: “I’m just wondering if this ball is remote controlled, swerving last second?”

Another added: “The ball can be manipulate, mark my words! If there is a chip inside, it can be manipulated in a certain way!”

Supporters will now be watching intently to see if Hart’s analysis continues to be true for the rest of the tournament and if some goalkeepers continue to struggle with long-range efforts.