Before Thomas Tuchel took over, there were four England players who were considered unlikely to be dropped: Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. When Tuchel made it clear that Bellingham would have to compete with Morgan Rodgers for a place in the starting XI, Real Madrid royalty or not, that spot quickly became three players.
Tuchel’s praise after Bellingham’s excellent performance against Croatia was deservedly generous. But he also sought to give Rodgers, who came on in the 72nd minute for Declan Rice, a tough name check.
The threat of his old friend Rodgers starting first was no doubt an inspiration to Bellingham. That kind of threat does not apply to Kane and Rice, but the same may not apply to Pickford after incidents such as an in-game skirmish with the goalkeeper.
Couple that with Tuchel’s right-hand man Anthony Barry’s implicit criticism at half-time, and it’s clear Pickford is not infallible. FOX Sports’ Jeff Shreves reported that Tuchel told Pickford: “You know what to do. Just do what I say.”
During the break, Barry said, “We made some decisions when the energy wasn’t free. We played long when we should have played short, we played short when we should have played long. We didn’t have any string passes to accelerate the game.”
Barry’s use of the word “nervous” was also relevant. There has long been debate about the Everton keeper’s unique energy in big games and whether that transfers to defenders.
Although Barry may have been expressing a general opinion, it is clear that Pickford was one of the targets of his criticism.
And Opta’s stats back it up.
Thomas Tuchel appeared to have a word with Pickford during the win over Croatia (Image: Getty)
In the first half, Pickford attempted 10 long passes and completed just two (20%). In the second half, Pickford attempted nine long passes and completed five (55.6%). Overall, a third of his pass attempts (34.5%) were long passes, and only 36.8% of them found his teammates. Under Gareth Southgate, 49% of Pickford’s passes were long. Under Tuchel, it was 29.6%. In the match against Croatia, 34.6% of Pickford’s passes were long.
It’s clear that Tuchel is demanding of his keepers. Even before Tuchel took charge for his first game, there were whispers from his camp that England’s goalkeeping was one area where Tuchel believed rejuvenation was needed.
Jordan Pickford’s total passes in England vs Croatia – long and short (Image: Opta)
Jordan Pickford’s long pass in England vs Croatia (Image: Opta)
Jordan Pickford’s short pass in England vs Croatia (Image: Opta)
Tuchel officially started his job in England on January 1, 2025. In October 2024, various reports suggested that Pickford would face a battle to maintain his unchallenged number one position.
Last summer, Tuchel was full of praise for Pickford, saying he fully expected James Trafford and Dean Henderson to challenge the Everton keeper for a place in England’s starting XI.
James Trafford impressed Thomas Tuchel at England training camp (Image: Getty Images)
The arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma quickly limited his chances of returning to Manchester City, but Trafford are becoming Pickford’s main rivals, with 85 caps under his belt. Trafford had a fantastic opportunity at City and made his England debut in March.
Some pundits thought Pickford might have been better on Martin Baturina’s shot for Croatia’s first goal, but Troy Deeney went further on CBS Sports, saying England “can’t win the World Cup with Jordan Pickford.”
For Pickford, criticism will seem like water off a duck’s back. When asked about his response to last season, he said: “The main thing is to be mentally strong. Everyone knows what I’ve done for England in the shirt. The only thing I haven’t done is win trophies, so that’s my aim for the summer.”
Deanie’s sentence is extremely harsh. But it’s not harsh to say that Pickford is now far from undroppable. It would be a huge gamble, but we cannot rule it out.
Please select England’s XI for Ghana
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