Goodison Stats: Jordan Pickford continues to impress for Everton
Jordan Pickford continued his red hot run of form on Thursday as Everton claimed a 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened West Brom.
The England international pulled off three saves at The Hawthorns as Everton kept their third consecutive clean sheet in the Premier League.
Albion could have had the lead within minutes if not for Pickford’s acrobatics, with the shot-stopper’s sharp reflexes preventing Mbaye Diagne’s looping header from finding its way into the net.
Carlo Ancelotti has preferred to rotate his goalkeeping options this season, with both Pickford and Robin Olsen having received a fair amount of game time.
However, Pickford’s recent run of form might see him become Ancelotti’s undisputed first-choice.
Sky Sports statistician Matt Cheetham revealed on Twitter on Thursday evening that Pickford has now made 10 saves since he last conceded a goal – the joint-best run of his Everton career.
With Everton firmly in the race for Champions League qualification this season, having briefly moved fourth after beating West Brom before Chelsea’s victory over Liverpool saw them move into the top four, the Blues will need consistency in goal.
Rotating goalkeepers can be effective in keeping both players sharp and forcing them to compete for a starting berth, and Pickford has shown in recent weeks that he is willing to improve his performance levels in order to retain a spot in Ancelotti’s team.
In the long-run, it provides Everton zero benefit to continually disrupt team flow by switching and changing which man is leading the team from the back, so Ancelotti should come to decide which goalkeeper he can best rely on as a regular starter.
Based on the past few weeks, Pickford has shown that he has what it takes to lead Everton forward for the time being.
In other Everton news, defender Ben Godfrey believes that Everton should be targeting qualification to the Champions League this season.