England’s number one
When asked in his pre-match press conference whether Jordan Pickford was good to go in this game, Everton manager Frank Lampard gave an emphatic yes and proclaimed that as “good news” and here we saw exactly why. Like he’d done in the summer when there were question marks over Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale for all four goals he shipped against Hungary, the Blues goalkeeper actually strengthened his position as England number one by NOT playing for Gareth Southgate’s side last week.
A thigh injury that had also kept him out of Everton’s 1-0 win over West Ham United a fortnight ago also ensured Pickford was sidelined for the Three Lions’ UEFA Nations League double-header against Italy and Germany – with Newcastle United’s Nick Pope dropping a clanger in the latter. However, back to fitness here, Pickford was able to show his superiority to the pretenders to his throne through his own excellence rather than their shortcomings.
