The talismanic striker missed a penalty and a host of other good chances on New Year’s Day, leaving City fans grateful for the Adam Johnson strike that secured three more points.
That gratitude was extended to the England goalkeeper, who was at his best with a string of fine saves that preserved the narrow lead, and he thinks his club skipper will be back to his best ay the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
“Carlos has been banging goals in for fun but it wasn’t his day,” says Joe. “He has got nothing to apologise for - I’m surprised his back has not dropped off the number of times he’s carried us this season. It’s nice for us to help him out for a change.
He could have had a hat-trick at least but I’m pretty sure of he gets the chance on Wednesday night he will do.
The complexion of this season’s first City-Arsenal clash was radically altered by the early dismissal of Dedryck Boyata, and Joe insists that City must put the resulting defeat firmly behind them as they look to this week’s vital game.
He adds, “We got a bit of a lesson that day. I don’t think either side got a grasp of what the other is really like because of the red card.
“If you want to be competing for the title you have to grind out the results. It’s difficult to predict what might happen down there - but it will be a good game between two good sides. It’s an exciting game but we know we’ll have to take our chances.”
