Everton star Jordan Pickford under spotlight as Petr Cech shares ‘criticism’ view
Petr Cech believes it was the “right call” for England to stand by Jordan Pickford as the Everton keeper stars on the international stage in Qatar.
The 28-year-old has yet again shown his worth for the Three Lions with only two goals conceded so far, with both of them coming in the first group game against Iran.
Cech feels Pickford has been “brilliant” in past tournaments and has enjoyed watching him this time around in the World Cup.
“I have enjoyed watching Jordan Pickford so far in the tournament because he came under criticism and obviously there was a big debate about who should start for England in the tournament,” said Cech (Seaman Says Podcast, 10:48, 8 December).
“Him having the experience of the World Cup and where he played really well. At the Euros he was brilliant. I think it was the right call to support and start him because, in my opinion, he hasn’t done anything wrong in those three tournaments.”
Time to deliver
Saturday evening (10 December) is another chance for the Everton keeper to show what he’s made of on the international stage, with the 28-year-old likely to be far busier than he has been in previous fixtures. He has the small task of keeping out Kylian Mbappe, who is currently the World Cup’s top scorer with five goals.
The French superstar displayed in his last outing against Poland his ability to score from pretty much anywhere and hit parts of the goal which nobody thought were possible.
Pickford has shown many times his ability to rise to the big occasion and his previous experiences in the European Championship final and the last World Cup against Colombia will stand him in good stead if this match goes the distance.
Glenn Hoddle has even suggested (Betfair Twitter, 8 December) that Pickford should be one of the five penalty takers Southgate turns to if needed. If the 28-year-old performs like we all know he can on Saturday, England have a superb chance of reaching back-to-back World Cup semi-finals.