Jordan Pickford was back in action for England on Tuesday evening at the World Cup, this time against Ghana.
The Three Lions were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw as Pickford secured his first clean sheet of the tournament.
Since the start of the World Cup, the Everton goalkeeper has come under some significant scrutiny despite England remaining unbeaten.
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Troy Deeney slammed Pickford following the game against Croatia, and he was not alone, which really begs the question of whether Pickford is really under pressure?
Jordan Pickford should not be concerned about being dropped by England
For years now, Pickford has come under scrutiny for both club and country regardless of how well he has performed on the pitch.
Heading into the tournament, Gary Neville admitted Pickford has surprised him after being uncertain on him earlier in his career.
There was an article published earlier in the week by another outlet with the striking headline ‘Jordan Pickford is under pressure’.
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The English media came down on Pickford after the victory against Croatia, which was fairly typical of the national media.
In the tournament opener for England, against strong opposition, Pickford did concede twice, but there were also some strong moments that were picked out by Emma Hayes on ITV Sport.
Pickford’s ability to distribute the ball with his feet and help bring England’s attack into life was something that was highlighted on the night.
Despite this, the rhetoric coming out of the game is that Pickford may well be under pressure.
Tuesday night was a routine display from Pickford, which saw the Everton goalkeeper make zero saves against the African opposition.
‘Did not have a single save to make but was perhaps fortunate to escape without sanction after a collision with Ghana substitute Prince Kwabena Adu outside the penalty area,’ said The Independent.
For the incident in question, Pickford was awarded a free-kick, yet he is finding himself questioned by the media again.
England were poor on Tuesday and struggled to break Ghana’s stubborn low block; the goalkeeper was the least of England’s concerns going into the final game against Panama.
The focus of how this England squad could be improved should not be starting with their number one, who has provided stability between the sticks for the best part of a decade.
England captain Harry Kane let his side down, for example, with his dreadful miss in the dying stages of the game.
However, much like Pickford, he has plenty of credit in the bank with the Three Lions, which means supporters should not go too heavy on him for that uncharacteristic error.
On the other hand, Thomas Tuchel has some clear struggling players with the likes of Anthony Gordon and even Declan Rice.
The reality is the finger can be pointed at a number of individuals, but suggesting a player like Pickford may be under pressure feels completely unnecessary at this stage of a tournament.
Pickford has now broken his own England clean sheet record after Tuesday night’s draw in Foxborough.
Now is the time where the nation should be getting behind their players and not pushing the narrative that England’s clear number one should have the finger pointed at him.
Dean Henderson and James Trafford have no experience of playing at a major international tournament at senior level; seeing either thrown into the team, now that would be pressure.
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