David Ginola and Graeme Souness slam Jordan Pickford in Everton v West Ham
David Ginola and Graeme Souness have slammed Jordan Pickford for failing to save Aaron Cresswell’s goal against Everton on Sunday.
West Ham’s left-back scored a free-kick in the first half with Pickford, 28, failing to get to the ball as it hit the top corner of his goal.
However, Ginola and Souness both felt as though Cresswell’s free-kick could have been stopped by Pickford if he’s positioned himself better prior to the set-piece being taken.
“Look at his feet, he’s not on the goal line. He doesn’t move and it’s too late,” said Ginola on Sky Sports Main Event at half-time on Sunday [3 April, 02:52pm].
“There’s a 90 per cent chance the ‘keeper would save the ball [in that corner]. You know it, as a goalkeeper, you do. It’s weird.”
After being asked whether that was tough on Pickford, Jermain Defoe disagreed with the duo and said: “You’re not saving that.”
Souness then chipped in to say: “I get David’s point when he says [Pickford] doesn’t move because he can’t see it.
“When it’s kicked, he can’t see it so he’s guessed it going there and he’s just diving into mid-air and gets nowhere near it.”
Harsh?
When we first saw that goal, we couldn’t help but think it was unsaveable.
Unfortunately, neither Ginola or Souness were goalkeepers in their playing days so it’ll be interesting to see what someone with more expertise on that position has to say.
Was Pickford’s starting point right? You’d assume for someone who’s so experienced in that position would know where to stand when a free-kick is being lined up, right?
Pickford’s let us down so many times in the past but we all know how good a goalkeeper he’s capable of being.
He’d know where to stand when a free-kick is being taken. Souness and Ginola would not.
For Ginola to say that the vast majority of goalkeepers would be expected to save that free-kick is ridiculous.
It was a great strike that found the very top corner of the goal.
If Pickford positions himself closer to that corner, he’ll be unsighted as he’ll have been standing behind the wall.
In other Everton news, a £20million dream for the Toffees ace is being blown to bits.
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