Everton moved up to seventh in the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at the weekend but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford took some of the headlines for his post-match comments when he said that when you are an England player: “Everyone hates you.”
The comments come almost a year after his position as England’s number one came under question, initially for his antics during a defeat to Newcastle United, where the former Sunderland player goaded the Magpies fans and squandered a two-goal lead.
Against Crystal Palace, the Everton goalkeeper conceded a goal from Christian Benteke, the Belgian’s first in the top-flight since April 2019. Pickford blamed the incident on his leg being stuck underneath him, meaning he could not block the path of the ball, and he was fortunate that it did not affect the result as his side climbed up the table. However, he continued to say: “Everyone raves about you when you are with England, but then you get back to your club, and everyone wants to slate you.”
While there may be some truth to the comments and Pickford cited Joe Heart as a previous example, his words will have only highlighted his mistake during what was otherwise a routine win for the Toffees. Since Carlo Ancelotti took charge, only Liverpool have picked up more Premier League points than Everton, and their incredible run of just one defeat in 11 matches could have been the story. Instead, Gareth Southgate’s first-choice goalkeeper for the past two summer tournaments has attracted attention to himself.
With Dean Henderson and Nick Pope leading the way in terms of Premier League clean sheets on nine each, Pickford is coming under stiff competition to ensure he starts between the sticks for the 2020 European Championships. With two friendlies against Italy and then Denmark next month, Southgate could undertake some last-minute experimentation in goal.
So far this season, Pickford has made two errors leading to goals, while Henderson has just one. Meanwhile, Pope has conceded two errors leading to the opposition scoring in his entire Premier League career. With a major tournament just around the corner, Pickford might be wise to keep a low profile instead of drawing attention to his errors, which could leave his position in jeopardy.
