Everton England Jordan Pickford
(Credit: Imago)
Max Wilkins
Sun 8 June 2025 12:40, UK
Everton star Jordan Pickford wasn’t free from criticism as England secured a 1-0 win against Andorra.
The Toffees’ number one once again started in between the sticks for the Three Lions for the trip to Barcelona on Saturday (7 June).
With the 31-year-old in net, Thomas Tuchel’s side secured a 1-0 win thanks to a Harry Kane tap-in, just five minutes after the half-time break.
This was as good as it got for the away side, who did little to showcase their talents, as negative reviews flooded in, with Pickford facing some criticism after the full time whistle.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has continued as England number one (Credit: Imago)
Pickford slammed by England press v Andorra
On the day when the ex-Sunderland man became the second most capped goalkeeper for England, behind only Peter Shilton, he kept yet another clean sheet.
MORE TOFFEES STORIES
It has to be said that this came without having to make a single save as Andorra managed just 88 passes, never mind a shot on goal.
This made life easy for the Merseyside favourite as he strolled to his 38th shutout for the Three Lions, but still faced slander from the media.
This saw Adrian Durham slam the keeper in talkSPORT’s player ratings (6 June) as Pickford was slapped with a 3/10 score for his performance.
Despite keeping a clean sheet, his rating fell to a disappointing low for “failing to do anything special with the ball at his feet,” which is very bizarre.
This low score was an anomaly, but the lack of any sort of praise was apparent across a number of outlets, with The Standard also being less than complimentary.
Talking about the keeper’s performance, they simply said “Had very little to do all afternoon,” which is hardly a fault of the Everton man.
The Daily Mail were unsure what Tuchel would think of this performance, especially after his comments since taking over as manager.
They said: “Tuchel has told Pickford he must prove why he should be England’s No 1, though that’s hard to do when Andorra didn’t even have two shots to rub together.”
Everton keeper Jordan Pickford was wrongly criticised for England (Credit: Imago)
Everton ace Pickford unfairly criticised for England
It is extremely strange for a goalkeeper to face such negativity after not facing a single shot while also completing 31 passes [FotMob].
This seems typical of the press surrounding the England national team on occasion, which does often focus in on negativity.
Tuchel’s side may have put in a frustrating performance against Andorra, but that wasn’t the fault of Pickford, who was often left twiddling his thumbs.
Stat v Andorra Jordan Pickford
Saves 0
Accurate passes 31
Touches 39
Acted as sweeper 3
Jordan Pickford England stats v Andorra
It will now be interesting to see if the Englishman starts in the next game against Senegal before making his return to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
There is every chance that the 31-year-old will be keen to impress even more after the Toffees were linked with a move for Sheffield United keeper Mike Cooper this summer.
Related Posts