Journalist Gavin Buckland has admitted that he’s worried by Jordan Pickford’s Everton form amid some recent mistakes.
Buckland feels that Pickford – who has been known to make the odd error – has seen some of his previous habits creep back into his displays despite his recent promising form, which will certainly be worrying for Everton and England fans, as well as Gareth Southgate, ahead of the World Cup.
Last season was a stunning one for Pickford, who almost single-handedly kept Everton in the league with amazing saves in tight games against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, which saw him win the club’s Player of the Season award.
However, Buckland is now worried about Pickford and his current form heading into the World Cup, which he spoke about on the All Together Now podcast.
Speaking prior to the Toffees’ Carabao Cup clash against Bournemouth, he said: “It’ll be interesting to see whether Begovic gets a shirt ahead of Jordan, who worryingly, has shown signs over the last few games, for me, of some of his bad habits of the past reappearing a little bit. I was going to say he needs a break, but he’s going to the World Cup.”
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TIF Thoughts on Pickford’s form…
Heading into the World Cup, if Pickford is making errors and mistakes, that could well end up being a huge worry for Southgate, as he knows there will be pressure on him to succeed in Qatar, given this tournament was pinpointed as a big one for England many years ago.
While Buckland may well be thinking Pickford is making more errors as games go by, the stats suggest that he’s having another steady season – currently boasting the second-best save percentage in the Premier League (FBref).
A change of scenery and going to work with England could be what Pickford needs to refresh his mindset, work with different coaches and come back a different player as he prepares to keep the Toffees in the league once again in the new year.