Sport
Could time be up for calamitous Jordan Pickford?
The history books will read Everton 2-2 Liverpool but might not tell the full story for Jordan Pickford, who was extremely fortunate to escape censure after another madcap performance. Although he was not technically at fault for the two goals that were conceded by the Toffees, he can thank technicalities that he was even on the pitch to pick the ball out of the net.
His ill-timed lunge of Virgil Van Dijk has probably ended the Dutchman’s season and provoked fury from fellow Liverpool players and supporters. Yet it went unpunished due to an initial offside and a lack of common sense from VAR official David Coote. Nonetheless, Jordan Pickford has once again put himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
While he was highly fortunate to stay on the field of play after that tackle, he was also fortunate not to have cost Everton a share of the points. Had Sadio Mane been a fraction onside, Pickford would have gift wrapped a dramatic away win for Liverpool.
Thanks to David Coote’s lack of judgement, which has seen him dropped from this weekend’s action, and the tightest of offside calls going in Everton’s favour, Pickford has escaped this week’s direct line of fire from the pundits in terms of his actual performance, who were instead scathing about his rash, dangerous challenge. However, the goalkeeping situation surrounding the Sunderland native is a ticking timebomb and, if the Toffees are to mount any form of serious league challenge, it is one that needs to be diffused.
At 26 years of age, some may say that Pickford is yet to find his goalkeeping maturity.One must not forget though that this is a man who, as recently as 2018, represented his country in a World Cup semi-final.
His exploits in Russia made Pickford the darling of the nation and the scourge of Colombia, as he played a pivotal role in the Three Lions dramatic penalty shoot-out win in the Round of 16. Two years on and Pickford is still living off those former glories, with his continued selection at club and international level. Once England’s hero, what chance that he will eventually become the villain?
In the quest to be England’s number one at next summer’s European Championship, the former Sunderland shot stopper is seemingly in a three-horse race with Burnley’s Nick Pope and Manchester United’s Dean Henderson. A poor start to Burnley’s season and a lack of game time for Henderson has meant England manager Gareth Southgate has kept the faith in Jordan Pickford for the more competitive of their recent matches.
However, there are murmurs about how long this loyalty can last. If Pickford continues to be a calamity for his club, it may mean that his services are no longer required for his country. Admittedly, the man in question is yet to make such a ghastly error in England colours and that is probably why he is given such a pass. There is a sense, though, that such a moment of doom is almost inevitable.
Do England and Everton, for that matter, keep taking the risk which comes with his selection? In the case of the latter they were certainly smart to take out an insurance policy in the shape of Robin Olsen.
The Swedish international will certainly offer competition between the sticks, a pressure which is arguably what Pickford has needed the most at Goodison Park as both Jonas Lossl and Joao Virginia have been far from able deputies.
This should mean that he is now just one more mistake away from being dropped and, for a goalkeeper who never seems to believe his own fault for such aberrations, this might be the ignition spark his upcoming performances need.
Then again, that same logic could have been applied for the Merseyside derby and, with Olsen being such a steady pair of hands, a case for his selection and subsequent debut certainly contained some merit.
However, manager Carlo Ancelotti felt that the status quo should remain for such an occasion and on reflection, perhaps the visit of defending champions Liverpool was a case of being thrown into the fire too early.
This weekend’s trip to Southampton and the furore surrounding Pickford’s rash tackle on Van Dijk, may just provide the perfect opposition and occasion for the 30-year-old Swede to make his debut.
Ultimately when a goalkeeper makes a mistake, it usually leads to a goal and that is why their efforts are so forensically observed by fans and former professionals alike. It is a pressure that Everton’s man in question almost seems uncomfortable with.
For someone so erratic, who seemingly possesses the ability to unnerve even his own teammates, this level of scrutiny is only going to continue. If both Everton and England want to achieve great things at the end of the season, both must ask serious questions about the future of Jordan Pickford.
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