English goalkeepers are used to being semi-heroes. See David Seaman at Euro 96. Or Peter Shilton at Italia 90. Neither could save a German penalty in the last four, but, hey, they got respect. There's something about Jordan Pickford that hasn’t hit home with the wider public just yet.
The Everton keeper's shortcomings have been cumulative rather than spectacular, but there’s a creeping sense that every match presents a new opportunity for a mistake rather than a shot at redemption. Divock Origi’s last-gasp winner at Anfield 15 months ago was the tinderbox in a furnace and the 25-year-old is currently pouring more fuel on to the hot ashes.
Basics are going wrong. It’s all a bit frantic. Even Sunday’s fantastic double save to earn a point against Manchester United was met with an almost overwrought reaction. After all, he had let in a Bruno Fernandes sidewinder go under his hands.
It probably does not help that the stopper presents as a rather marmite figure, prone to rash statements and bizarre, irritating habits that inflame rather than calm situations.
The England goalkeeper was criticised by Gary Neville in September for laughing when 3-1 down to Manchester City. Often his Joe Hart-style gestures look more like nervous tics than authority in decision-making, and he was once affectionately described by former Sunderland teammate George Honeyman as a “nutter” who would struggle to control moods if he didn’t get his own way.
In the space of a few months last season, the Toffees keeper kung-fu’d Danny Ings without censure, dragged Newcastle's Solomon Rondon down to the ground and then let St James’s Park know about his general displeasure when he saved Matt Ritchie’s subsequent penalty.
Here it is.
The worst missed call of the season.
Pickford fumbles the ball and spear tackles Rondon giving away the penalty. Should’ve got a red right?
Nope. Ref gave him a yellow card.
And by yellow card..... I mean no card.
No card.
The ref didn’t even give him a card pic.twitter.com/m3Cx5WYADR— JAKE BUCKLEY (@TheMasterBucks) March 9, 2019
There’s something about his Newcastle spats that show a man fighting himself. Pickford is no shrinking violet on the pitch and nor should he be. That is his way after growing pains through the lower leagues at Rotherham, playing as a 17-year-old against big “centre-halves needing to pay their mortgages.”
It is generally when he talks after the game or gets involved with the crowd that things can only go in one direction. He was at it again after yet another high profile mistake this month when Christian Benteke shot through him to get Crystal Palace back into the game.
Pickford aimed his ire and fire in a scattergun manner: “The press and everybody; the punters – look at Gary Neville - they just want to come for England players. Everyone hates you, for some reason. I just get on with it. You have got to live with it, you have got to learn.”
As Jamie Carragher said in his Telegraph column, this passive-aggressive stance never really works. People do not hate Pickford, per se. They may be rather wound up by his nature, but the only way to go about changing a perception is to prove your value to yourself and your team with no unnecessary histrionics.
Thoughts go back to how cruel life in the spotlight can be for up and coming keepers. Scott Carson never really recovered from the “wally with the brolly” night in 2007 and Paul Robinson didn’t mature fully from brilliant teenager to towering national keeper. Pickford is still in transition from the new kid on the block to the man who would-be prince.
With the second-worst figure for percentage of shots saved this season, behind other Euro 2020 candidates like Dean Henderson and Nick Pope, but the best figure for passing accuracy, time will tell whether Gareth Southgate looks to a keeper better at catching or kicking.
The England boss likes to play the ball out from the back, after all - though Carlo Ancelotti was only half-joking when he said, “I prefer a goalkeeper with good hands.”
The next few months will determine if club and country really are in safe hands…
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