Chris Sutton slams Jordan Pickford for mistake vs Denmark
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been slammed by Chris Sutton for his performance against Denmark on Wednesday.
England managed to make it to the final of Euro 2020 but underwent an early scare when Denmark’s Mikkel Damsgaard scored an exceptional free kick.
Prior to the goal, Pickford made a howler while throwing the ball to one of the defenders and that almost saw the Three Lions suffer an early setback.
Sutton, in his Daily Mail column, referred to Pickford’s tournament as “excellent” but was critical of his performance on Wednesday night.
He wrote, “Panicky Jordan Pickford was caught flat-footed for Mikkel Damsgaard’s free kick.
“For a period in this first half, Pickford looked all over the place. One careless moment after 15 minutes saw him give the ball away, leading to a good chance for Martin Braithwaite which deflected wide.
“They wanted to crowd around Pickford and make life difficult, perhaps having identified England’s goalkeeper as someone to target.
“Pickford managed to punch that corner clear, but will have been disappointed with how he was beaten by Mikkel Damsgaard. Maybe that earlier mistake, and conceding this goal, hurt Pickford’s confidence, but he had to remember what an excellent tournament he’s had otherwise.”
They’re back now
All the Pickford critics had been silent for so long and waited for one opportunity to come back out and slam him.
Yes, he made an error by giving Braithwaite a shot at goal, but the way he repositioned himself after making that mistake ensured that the Danes would not find the back of the net.
For the free kick, Damsgaard struck it straight and in such a way that Pickford couldn’t see the ball until it crossed the wall, and by then he had very little reaction time.
It’s easy to sit on the couch and criticise players or to look at goals from different angles in slow motion and base conclusions off of them. In real time, looking at it from his angle, there was very little he could do.
However, it’s refreshing to see him praise the tournament he had, and even if he blunders against Italy, it won’t take away the fact that he’s been spectacular at Euro 2020.
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