Jordan Pickford has been backed by an FA Cup winner amid the furore surrounding England’s World Cup defeat to Argentina. The Everton number appeared to be questioned by Jude Bellingham after Enzo Fernandez’s equaliser in the closing stages of the semi-final. Argentina went on to score a late winner.
Former Chelsea captain Jody Morris believes Pickford’s form for England cannot be questioned - nor can his performances at Everton. Bellingham appeared to moan to himself “it’s in the middle of the goal” when he watched replays of Fernandez’s strike on the big screens in Atlanta.
Pickford's World Cup Performances Under Scrutiny
Pickford failed to get across to the effort after Lionel Messi chose to cut a ball back to the edge of the area rather than cross, giving Fernandez time to pick a route around a crowd of defenders blocking Pickford’s view. Whether he should have done better has been the subject of intense debate, along with his wider displays at the World Cup.
The 32-year-old delivered a superb performance in the gruelling win over Mexico and made several good saves in the semi-final, though he would have liked to have done better with Norway’s freak goal in the quarter-finals and Brian Cipenga’s shock opener for Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 32.
Morris Defends Pickford
Adding his thoughts to the conversation, Morris told Boyle Sports: “Jordan Pickford has been a good servant for Everton and performed well for England. He has played many Premier League games. Should he have done better on a couple of goals for England in the tournament? Probably.
“You can't argue with his form for England. He probably wasn't happy with the Enzo Fernandez goal, but you can't erase what he's done previously. Everton seem more than happy with him, and he has always seemed happy there. I think he really suits Everton and they suit him.”
