Why Pickford Is Among the Greatest in the World

Neville Southall, Nigel Martyn, and former teammate Asmir Begovic discuss Jordan Pickford, the custodian for Everton and England, outlining how he maintains his excellence for both club and country, securing his position as the No. 1 for the Three Lions and one of the best shot-stoppers in the game.

Coming UEFA EURO Championship qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia may offer Pickford yet another chance to bolster his already strong case for becoming Gareth Southgate’s starting keeper for a major tournament for a record four times running.

Only Harry Kane (64) has started more games for England under the current manager than Pickford (56), who has rewarded Southgate’s faith with consistently good performances in each of the previous three tournaments.

Pickford, meanwhile, has been a constant focal point for Everton. His combination of superb distribution and saves has won him multiple Club and fan honours since arriving on Merseyside in the summer of 2017.

Pickford: Acknowledged And Incentivize For Everton Form

Pickford, who just reached 250 Everton appearances, has been a highlight for the team since joining the Toffees. During his six full seasons, he has won three Player of the Season titles.

The Everton custodian finished in the top 10 for save % (71.3) and had the third-highest number of saves (123) in the Premier League the previous season.

Expected goals also state that Pickford’s shot-blocking efforts during the campaign prevented three goals. This placed him in the top five goalkeepers per ninety minutes and was the sixth-highest of all Premier League goalkeepers.

Neville Southall: No Better English Goalkeeper

NS: “Pickford is the best player I believe for England, and I think he has taken on a huge deal of responsibility. There are 10% physical and 90% mental components to such role. Thus, he’s improving and performing admirably.

“Obviously, he performs well under duress when he represents England because, in my opinion, being English is a whole other ball game.

“Give me an English goaltender who is better than him.

“Obviously, it’s fantastic to have played 250 games for Everton, and as a goalie, your decisions make or break you. To be honest, based on those 250 games, he has made a lot of wise decisions, and I believe that with more experience, he will only become better.

That experience causes things to slow down. He’s just now beginning to slow down, which is undoubtedly a positive thing, but you have to keep in mind that he was a young player on Sunderland’s squad.

“At 35, I was at my best because I knew how the game would play out, the atmosphere, and their team as I was heading to the ground.

“You get to read situations miles better. At 35 I think you’re probably a man, you know, physically you’re round about your peak. Experience-wise you have everything physically. He’s got six years and in those six years, it’s up to him.”

England’s No.1 – Consistent On The Biggest Stage

Only two goalkeepers in the 2018 World Cup made as many saves as Pickford (16), who enabled England to advance to their first World Cup semifinal in 28 years.

After that, the Toffees custodian recorded the highest save percentage of 88.9% at the 2021 European Championships and the most clean sheets of any player in the competition with five. His efforts helped England reach the final of a major tournament for the first time since 1966.

Pickford kept the most clean sheets in Qatar in 2022—three in five appearances—of any goalie.

Regarding “One Of The World’s Best,” Asmir Begovic

AB: “Jordan is among the world’s top goalkeepers, in my opinion.

“In football, there are certain realities. We play in the world’s most popular sport. There is a realism that comes with playing for England, one of the largest football nations in the world, and Everton, a famous Premier League club.

“What’s great about Jordan is that he understands that responsibility, but ultimately, it comes down to how you handle it, and you handle it by simply putting in your best effort each and every day at work.”

It’s a daily practise of keeping an eye on the future and trying not to get ahead of oneself. Jordan is excellent at compartmentalising things, living day to day, week to week, and realising that this is how he got to where he is today.

One of the things that drew me to Everton was the opportunity to collaborate and, of course, compete with Jordan.

Since he’s such a nice guy, it was genuinely a pleasure working with him, and we developed a wonderful friendship.

We have a great deal of mutual respect for one another, and I think highly of him and his current endeavours because they are so good.

Jordan’s recovery will undoubtedly continue, in my opinion.

“Especially in terms of goalkeepers, he’s still young. He has many years left at the top if he keeps working as hard, pushing himself as hard, and taking care of himself as well.

“The more games he plays, the more of an understanding of the game you get from experience, which is extremely important for goalkeepers.”

Pickford’s Passing – A Reliable Asset

A quality that is becoming more and more crucial for today’s goalkeepers and essential to England’s possession-based approach is Pickford’s ability to feel at ease with the ball in his hands.

He is a powerful kicker who performs well from a variety of distances. With 125 completed long passes (passes longer than 30 yards) this season in the Premier League (2023–24), he leads all players, both in goal and outfield.

Only David Raya recorded more than Pickford in the previous season, when he completed 342 long passes for Everton.

Reduce the distance, and the Blues custodian is less likely to make a mistake. Pickford has attempted 798 short throws (five to 15 yards) since making his Premier League debut for Everton, misfiring on just four of them.

Nigel Martyn On How Pickford Has Earned Southgate’s Trust

NM: “He makes huge saves in crucial games that have prevented goals or preserved a victory, and those saves have been extremely beneficial to Everton in recent years.

“His distribution is excellent, but his shot-stopping is undoubtedly his greatest strength. He kicks the ball properly and from a distance.

“It’s crucial that he sets himself up for shots incredibly well. Your feet must be on the ground when someone smashes the ball, and he’s excellent at positioning himself for the shot.

He does recognise the moment when the shot is likely to occur, which helps him with his reflexes and other skills. However, that’s a technical issue that you have to work on.

“For England, he looks suited to international football. He’s got the full trust of the manager for both Club and country.

“He is the No.1. That’s how it is, it’s how Gareth (Southgate) sees it, and it’s based on his performances. Since he’s been No.1, he’s played very well, and Gareth is aware of what he’s capable of and trusts him to perform.

“I think he’s improved year on year at Everton, and I think that improvement will carry on as long as he’s fit and wants to keep playing at the highest level.”