Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford endured a torrid night for England as they lost 2-1 against Greece at Wembley Stadium.
Pickford was the hero for the Toffees in their previous game when he saved a penalty from England teammate Anthony Gordon during their Premier League clash against Newcastle United.
He was outstanding on that day as Everton managed 0-0 against the Magpies. However, the England goalkeeper failed to impress at Wembley on Thursday night, and the national media weren’t so forgiving about his display.
After a disastrous start to the season, Everton appeared to have turned it around with three positive results on the bounce, and Pickford has played a big part in it. He went into the Nations League game with loads of confidence.
Pickford has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper for a long time, and he has produced some great performances in big tournaments. It can be seen as a ‘bad day in the office’, as he is usually very reliable between the sticks.
National media reacts to Jordan Pickford’s England display
England were shocking on the night and interim manager Lee Carsley’s all-out attacking strategy completely backfired.
The defence were left exposed at times, but Pickford was nowhere near the levels we all know he can deliver. He nearly gifted away an early goal, but Levi Colwill saved him from embarrassment.
The Daily Mail has given him a 3.5/10 rating, adding he was “casual” and looked “uncomfortable” throughout the game.
They wrote: “Far too casual with first-half dribble and needed Colwill to bail him out. Seemed uncomfortable all night.”
This is how The Independent reacted to Pickford’s performance, as they described his blunder as “calamitous”.
They wrote (gave him a 3/10 rating): “Calamitous start as he gifted two would-be goals: dallying outside the box and losing the ball, then missing an attempted punch. The ball went in, but the flag was up – he was so fortunate. Beaten more definitively just after the restart, then again twice more with the offside flags again rescuing him. Still time for one more goal to fly past him for the winner.”
Jordan Pickford should look to bounce back
The Everton goalkeeper has shown in the past that he has the ability to bounce back strongly and silence his critics. It was a night to forget for him, but it can happen even to world-class players.
Pickford really looked nervous and uncomfortable on the night, and his overall performances were below par. He is usually very good with his distributions but looked very flat in that department as well.
The Toffees goalkeeper performed poorly, and he will be aiming to bounce back in the next game.
