All Together Now podcast contributor Barry Allan believes Everton should look to replace Jordan Pickford.
It is fair to say this has not been a memorable season for the Toffees. As it stands, they are 17th in the Premier League table, albeit three points above the relegation zone with two games in hand, and the situation would have looked a lot worse had it not been for a late Alex Iwobi winner against Newcastle in their last top-flight clash.
Should Everton replace Pickford?
Yes
No
Pickford remains the clear number one, starting 25 of those league games so far. Frank Lampard’s men have conceded 47 goals during that time, and Allan believes Pickford is essentially to blame, if only for his lack of presence in the penalty area.
He said on the latest All Together Now episode: “I don’t think he gives much confidence to the defence. And I think you need your goalkeeper to be six foot three, six foot four. I want to see him, when a ball goes up in the box, I want him to take charge. I mean, Begovic did it briefly in the Newcastle game, and the defence looked a lot happier for that. I’m not his [Pickford’s] biggest fan.
“I don’t think he’s a great goalkeeper, and his height obviously counts against him. A lot of his saves, his good saves, are just instinctive saves, which obviously still need to be done. I think he’s too easily beaten from range, he’s beaten on the floor, he should be good on the floor, because he is technically smaller than a lot of the goalkeepers.
“I want a six foot four keeper who’s going to command the area. Too many crosses come into our six-yard box because opposition teams know the ‘keeper’s not coming for it. And that immediately puts you under pressure.”
TIF Thoughts on Pickford’s future…
The stats do not look particularly good for £22.5m-valued Pickford. Of all the goalkeepers to have started at least 10 games in the Premier League this term, only three have a worse save percentage ratio than his 65%, and only three sides have conceded more than Everton. Still, while he has come in for plenty of criticism in the past, he has not been on the receiving end as much this campaign.
Allan does raise a good point in regards to Pickford’s height. At just under six foot one, the England international is one of the shortest goalkeepers in the Premier League – he is taller than only Brentford’s David Raya in terms of starting goalkeepers. Height is not necessarily the only thing a goalkeeper needs – Ederson stands barely one inch above Pickford – but at a side like Everton, it certainly helps. Averaging 41% possession in the league this term, only three sides have seen less of the ball, meaning the Toffees are generally on the backfoot.
Pickford, though, retains the confidence of Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate, with the 28-year-old starting all of England’s matches on their run to the Euro 2020 final. There, though, he is protected by the nation’s best defenders, a luxury he does not have at club level. It seems unlikely that Everton will look to move him on, so the back four should be the starting point in terms of a defensive overhaul.