New data has emerged to suggest Jordan Pickford was undeserving of much of the criticism he received at the World Cup.
Football didn’t come home in the end this summer, with England losing to Argentina in the semi-final.
Are you worried about what you’re seeing from Pickford? 🤔
The Three Lions then beat France 6-4 in the third-place play-off to come third, and fans have since been debating whether Thomas Tuchel is the right man to take England forward.
He is highly likely to get the Euros at least, where anything but victory would be unacceptable.
And there is a good chance that Jordan Pickford will again be England’s starting goalkeeper, with data indicating he actually had a solid 2026 tournament.
Jordan Pickford suggested as most complete goalkeeper at the World Cup
Pickford played all but one game for England at the World Cup, sitting out the third-place play-off game against France.
He received criticism for his performances against Croatia and DR Congo.
But he was lauded for his efforts against Mexico in the last 16.
But despite a lot of noise, data has emerged to suggest that Pickford was actually one of the most well-rounded goalkeepers at the tournament.
As per FIFA’s official website, Pickford came third in the defending the goal leaders’ category, with a score of 7.85.
He then topped the ‘In possession’ category with a score of 7.92.
FIFA said: “Given that Pickford also finished third for Defending the Goal, it meant that England had the most complete top-end goalkeeper profile in the final rankings. His distribution was always carried out with purpose, and provided a consistent way for England to escape pressure and reset attacks.”
So while he didn’t keep many clean sheets, Pickford was vital for England in terms of building from the back, offering himself as an option by pushing far out from his goal.
Granted, there were moments where he might have done better, such as the goal DR Congo scored.
| Jordan Pickford’s World Cup numbers |
| Appearances – 7 |
| Clean sheets – 2 |
| Completed passes – 190/265 |
| Completed line breaks – 53 |
| Saves – 15 |
| Attempts at goal faced – 23 |
| Goal preventions – 81 |
| GK pass beyond – 19 |
But he did receive some overly harsh criticism at times, such as on the goals scored by Martin Baturina for Croatia and Enzo Fernandez for Argentina.
New footage showed Pickford’s line of sight was impeded for Fernandez’s goal, but before that many people gave him stick.
But clearly, he was still a solid performer and is sure to continue playing a big part for England in the coming years.
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