Jordan Pickford lauded by Gareth Southgate for EUROs performances
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been lauded by Gareth Southgate for his stellar performances thus far at the European Championships.
The Toffees and England number one has kept clean sheets in all three games in the tournament and has been a calm and composed figure on the ball.
While there have been some criticisms about the end product of the team, defensively, the Three Lions have been exemplary.
When asked about the influence of Pickford in the press conference, The Daily Express quoted Southgate as saying, “I think Jordan’s been excellent. The last couple of months of the season, his performances have been very calm for his club.
“He has been decisive at the right moments for us and has made good decisions with the ball at his feet.
“You have seen the range of passing that’s he’s got. He has even dropped a few in to the front players.
“He’s in a really good place and he’s given us a really solid start point for what has been strong defence from the whole team.”
Finally getting the recognition
Pickford has been subject to plenty of scrutiny and criticism in the past, but in the last few months, he’s shown just why he’s rated so highly by his head coaches.
There were even talks about Dean Henderson or Nick Pope usurping him as England’s number one, but despite all the talks surrounding it, he remained unnerved in goal for his national side and has started EUROs with three straight clean sheets.
This is the first time it’s happened for an England side since Sir Alf Ramsey did it in 1966 – the same year the Three Lions won the FIFA World Cup.
It’s some company to find oneself, but we’re so happy that Pickford has finally silenced his critics.
We’re hoping he continues his good run of form for the remainder of the season and carries it when he’s back in goal for us in the 2021/22 campaign.
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