Jordan Pickford of Everton has been defended by Phil McNulty after criticism of his performance for England at the international level.
On September 11, writer Robin Bairner of Transfersdotcom tweeted that the 29-year-old had played every minute of his nation’s qualifying for the 2024 European Championships but had not stopped a single shot.
The England goalkeeper shouldn’t have been expected to stop either of the shots, according to BBC Sport journalist McNulty, who responded to the tweet. After all, England only allowed two goals in the first five qualifying games.
Harsh
Pickford should not be chastised for allowing only two goals in England’s World Cup qualifying games so far.
As McNulty pointed out, he shouldn’t have been expected to stop either of those shots, and it doesn’t bode well for his national performances.
Maybe you can take a different approach and say that he hasn’t felt any pressure because he helped organize the defense in front of him so brilliantly.
Pickford’s future as England’s number one has long been debated, but the fact of the matter is that he has seldom let his country down over the years.
He’s a fan favorite under Southgate, so until that situation changes soon, he probably doesn’t have anything to worry about in terms of losing his starting spot.
