Jordan Pickford’s first error of the season came at an inopportune time for the England number one.
Pickford’s uncharacteristic spill at Spurs on Saturday, followed by a swipe that handed Harry Kane just enough opportunity to earn the penalty he converted, will give hope to his detractors on Tyneside that the Sunderland-born goalkeeper can be unsettled again ahead of Wednesday’s return to the North East.
Newcastle, after all, was Pickford’s nadir in 2019 when he was drawn into a battle of wills with a crowd that relentlessly mocked him for his Sunderland connections. It was one he lost, drawing criticism from Alan Shearer that his performance was “bizarre” and “stupid” in a chastening 3-2 defeat.
These days, Pickford is a much more mature professional and presence. Everton insiders rail against the idea he is error-prone or saves his best moments for England, pointing out that his run of form for club has been every bit as good as for the Three Lions.
More from Football
Eze has found his top form for Crystal Palace and could be England's 'surprise' star in Qatar19 October, 2022
Uefa tells Fifa to commit to compensation fund for abused Qatar World Cup workers now18 October, 2022
Michael Carrick in line for Middlesbrough job after Gareth Southgate intervenes18 October, 2022“What I see and what people tell me who work closely with him is his maturity,” Frank Lampard told reporters on Tuesday.
“It is more than normal to go to a place where you get stick and criticism because he is a Sunderland boy and be affected by it, it is natural. As you get older, you mature, understand it and end up performing better as you don’t put pressure on yourself.”
Everton will certainly hope that is the case: Pickford is going to be crucial as they look to blunt a Newcastle side that have momentum and are looking to break into the top seven that was the Toffees’ aim until fairly recently.
The objective for Everton this season is a bit more prosaic. Regrouping after last year’s brush with relegation is the official aim, allowing the Kevin Thelwell-inspired revolution of the club time to bed in before the move to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock which could be a game changer.
How close they are to be safely mid-table might be defined by how many points they can collect from Newcastle followed by Crystal Palace, who visit Goodison Park on Saturday.
Successive defeats to Manchester United and Spurs were hardly unexpected at Goodison Park but the individual errors that contributed to the losses emphasise the small margins that Lampard’s side are operating in this season.
Improved enough to compete with anyone, they still have notable deficiencies – especially going forward – that are exposed on contact with the best.
That’s to be expected, given the disarray they were in six months ago. Club insiders believe Everton could still be “three or four” transfer windows away from where they want to be but emphasise this summer’s smart recruitment as evidence things are moving in the right direction. Strikers are being shortlisted and will be a transfer window priority in 2023, the club having strengthened their spine significantly.
Amadou Onana, a summer arrival for £34m, has been particularly impressive and they are so much more resolute with Connor Coady and James Tarkowski at the back.
For goals they remain reliant on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has only played 38 minutes and is being utilised with caution by Lampard, and Anthony Gordon, who has lost form of late. His contract talks are dragging on amid an unsettling summer transfer window where he certainly wouldn’t have been averse to joining Chelsea.
The challenge for Gordon is re-focusing on the task at hand and a return to his best against Newcastle would be a ringing endorsement of Everton’s determination to keep one of their star men, given the Magpies were one of the clubs who wanted to sign him in the summer.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/2CB57sh
Post a Comment