Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is coming under heavy scrutiny once again following England’s latest World Cup game.
Despite being the England number one for around a decade now, Pickford still remains one of the first names picked out after a poor team performance.
Troy Deeney slammed Pickford following the victory against Croatia last week in what seemed a totally unnecessary attack on the 32-year-old Everton goalkeeper.
What did you make of Jordan Pickford during England’s opener against Croatia? 😬
Despite keeping a clean sheet and not even having a shot to save on Tuesday against Ghana, Pickford has once again found himself coming under fire from some in the media.
Kyle Walker plays up to media critique of Everton’s Jordan Pickford
There was some positivity surrounding the England number one heading into the World Cup, with Gary Neville predicting Pickford to win the Golden Glove.
However, that optimism has quickly vanished following England’s opening two games despite the Three Lions sitting on four points.
“Yeah I think he just missed the ball really. The keeper comes out and he’s in no man’s land. You don’t want to give the free kick away, you’re just trying to put the centre-forward off,” Walker said after Tuesaday’s 0-0 draw against Ghana.
“Pickford would’ve liked to have made connection with the ball, but I will give Jordan his credit, he was a lot calmer today, which is unusual for me to say for Jordan Pickford.”
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Clearly it was a game where Pickford did not have much to do considering he ended the game having not even been forced into a shot.
David James believes Pickford could win England the World Cup this summer, yet it seems as if every involvement of the Everton goalkeeper is is being heavily scrutinised.
Harry Kane missed a golden opportunity to seal the three points and it does appear as if his blame in the result has been quickly swept under the carpet.
Djed Spence is also coming under fire from some media outlets after footage emerged of Thomas Tuchel shouting instructions to the full-back.
The reality is England struggled to break down Ghana and their well-organised low block system.
Pickford was awarded a free kick after being trodden on in the incident Walker is referring to above.
Instead of moving on from the incident, it appears as if some are keen to place blame on Pickford despite there clearly being some actual problems for Tuchel to solve ahead of Saturday’s game against Panama.
Jordan Pickford does not deserve England ridicule
England supporters know fine well that Pickford has not let his country down when it comes to the previous tournaments he has competed in.
Heading into this summer’s competition, Pickford admitted he wanted to win silverware with England more than anything else.
And still the 32-year-old is finding almost every aspect of his performances analysed despite the credit he has banked as England’s number one.
There is almost a feeling of England already looking for a scapegoat even though the Three Lions have made a solid enough start in their opening two games.
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