Didn't see the game last night (I was working) so I'm not going to comment on it.
The interesting thing about Joe is that for the really big games, he often shows. He needs adrenalin to really perform. It's in the "small" games that he has a regrettable tendency to go to sleep. By the way, I don't have him at fault, really, for either of the Liverpool goals, or the Burnley one. They were all great strikes. He could have saved them. But you can't say he's a numpty for not doing so. Of all the goals that have gone in this season, there've been ones where you said, well, you could have done better on that. But there's honestly only one where I have him almost totally at fault, and that's the Stoke one at home, way back. Time and again, he's been exposed by his defence (that's very worrying in itself, but that's another story).
Being as fair and equitable as I can, I'd say this, over the past four or five seasons. He's the best English keeper, by a country mile. And along with Lloris, De Gea, Courtois, he's with the best in England. He's definitely at home in that company. I don't think he's a great keeper — the great keepers don't just shot stop, they dominate their area with an aura of total calm, whether it's crosses, free kicks, or whatever, they also distribute quickly and accurately to the player who's going to make the difference — but the jury's still out on it. He may yet become one of the greats. For the time being, I'm just happy to have him at his level.
