In a recent interview with Football Insider, ex-Premier League forward Darren Bent has shared his concerns over Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s recent form when he said, “I think, unfortunately for Jordan Pickford, Ancelotti has had to bring in a new goalkeeper.
“It’s a difficult one for him because we know Jordan Pickford is a good goalkeeper, but these mistakes keep happening and it’s costing them goals.
“I know they managed to overcome it at the weekend, and they managed to get the win but that won’t always be the case.
“Unfortunately he’s started to think ‘what do I do here? Do I continue with Jordan Pickford? Or do I get someone to push him?
“Maybe that’s all it is, maybe Jordan just needs somebody to give him a little push and maybe we’ll see the best out of him. At the minute it is a little bit of a concern.”
Pickford’s Recent Struggles At Goodison Park
The English goalie has kept only one clean sheet this season while conceding eight goals in six appearances for the Toffees so far. Pickford’s recent form has been dreadful, but his club has still managed to win all of their matches in the Premier League and the EFL Cup before the international break.
The Washington-born custodian had a tough season in the last term when he shipped in 61 goals and secured 11 shutouts in 43 matches for Everton across all competitions. The 26-year-old deserves a pat on the back for averaging 1.5 clearances and 5.3 long balls per 90 minutes in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign. However, he was sloppy when distributing possession out from the back as he made just 62.4% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
What Does The English Goalie Bring To The Table?
Pickford is blessed with excellent reflexes which he can use to pull off a few crucial stops at the back for his side. He is proficient at clearing his lines by putting his foot through the ball and can position himself ideally to make some world-class saves when called into action. However, the English talent is not the best handler of the ball and can be a bit untidy when passing the ball out from his penalty box. He has also been error-prone for the Toffees after developing a tendency to commit silly mistakes that have cost his side a few goals in recent times.
Should The Toffees Be Worried About Pickford’s Recent Form?
At the moment, Pickford remains Carlo Ancelotti’s number one keeper. Still, the arrival of Robin Olsen on loan from AS Roma could put more pressure on the English keeper in the race to secure regular first-team football at Goodison Park this season.
As long as Everton keep churning out positive results on the field, they have no reason to be worried about their first-choice keeper’s form as he has proven in the past that he can take criticism on the chin and come back stronger than ever during his time at Merseyside.
