It is a testament to Jordan Pickford‘s consistency in an England shirt that, barring injury, he will become the country’s seventh-most-capped goalkeeper and close in on a half-century of appearances by the end of this month’s Nations League campaign.
Since his debut against Germany in November 2017, Pickford has been Gareth Southgate’s undisputed first choice, holding off competition from Jack Butland in the early years, and Nick Pope more recently, to start and star at two major tournaments.
Pickford’s superior distribution with his feet has been pinpointed as a decisive factor – though not the only one – in Southgate’s decision to entrust him with the job. But suddenly he is faced with competition from another ball player: Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale.
“Rams has had a really good season, first season at Arsenal and he’s been unbelievable,” said Pickford about the 24-year-old, who has perhaps usurped Pope as his biggest threat.
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“You want other people playing well, you want other people pushing, so I think when we’re training together, we’re pushing each other every day to get better and better.”
According to FBref, among goalkeepers in the Premier League, Ramsdale was fourth and the Pickford seventh for attempted passes (excluding goal kicks), and fifth and eighth respectively for defensive actions made outside the penalty area.
Playing out from the back and sweeping up behind a defence are key traits for a modern goalkeeper and both the Arsenal and Everton players are adept in each of these areas.
What perhaps sets them apart at this stage is experience. Pickford is four years older than Ramsdale and has spent six seasons as a Premier League no 1 compared to his rival’s three. And when the pressure was on Everton and Arsenal in the final few weeks of the season, Pickford undoubtedly produced his best form of the campaign, while Ramsdale’s dipped as his team’s top-four charge veered off track.
Pickford puts his polished performances and consistency down to maturity. “A big change,” was his response when asked if he is different now from when he made his England debut.
“I’m more mature. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the last four to five years and definitely feel a lot better now than I did then. I’m always improving and I’m always getting better.”
Previously, Pickford’s place in England’s starting line-up has been the source of much debate. That has not been the case this time around, given his impact on Everton’s great escape. He made a series of superb stops to help keep the club in the Premier League, most notably from Cesar Azpilicueta in a 1-0 win over Chelsea which won the Castrol Save of the Season award last week.
“That’s what I’m called upon to do, make those big saves in big moments,” Pickford said. “Sometimes you don’t get the opportunity to do that. That game was a massive game for us and to make that save was nice but that’s what we practice on the training field for every day.”
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