'One of our best ever' - why Pickford is England's undisputed number one

Thomas Tuchel says "the title is on" to beryllium England's number one, but is Jordan Pickford's spot really nether immoderate superior threat - and conscionable really bully is he?

The 31-year-old Everton goalkeeper will break his ain Three Lions record, presently jointly shared pinch nan legendary Gordon Banks, of 7 consecutive cleanable sheets if he wins his 79th headdress against Wales and does not concede successful Thursday's friendly.

While astir of those caller shut-outs person travel successful one-sided qualifiers, we already cognize Pickford's worthy successful large games and shootouts astatine awesome tournaments too.

With nan thief of erstwhile England goalkeepers Paul Robinson and Rob Green, and his aged Toffees team-mates Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott, BBC Sport explores each facet of Pickford's crippled and examines his value to his state now.

As good arsenic redeeming penalties for England, Pickford's astir celebrated property is astir apt really animated he is connected nan pitch.

But what are nan method strengths and weaknesses down his emotions - and really overmuch do they matter?

"I retrieve having a talk pinch Marge [Martyn Margetson, England's erstwhile goalkeeping coach] astir Pickford and asking him if, technically, he is that overmuch amended than everyone else?" Green told BBC Sport.

"Possibly not, and he has his ain flaws and his ain idiosyncrasies, for illustration each goalkeeper has.

"When he is facing a shot, he drops his hands wide and debased down himself, and puts 1 manus up somewhat earlier nan other. There are oddities successful his group position, successful that he is somewhat retired of sync, but you tin unpick his style each you for illustration because what matters is that he makes nan save."

Pickford is rightly renowned for his accelerated reflexes erstwhile making stops but, for illustration each modern-day keeper, he is nary longer only judged by really bully he is pinch his hands.

"He has decidedly improved his all-round play pinch his feet," Robinson explained. "Where Jordan has ever been beardown is pinch his agelong distribution and his expertise to commencement a counter-attack - location are not galore amended than him astatine that successful nan Premier League.

"He tin footwear it accurately for perfectly miles successful a akin measurement I utilized to do, and arsenic a goalkeeper you bask that. The crippled has changed now, but he is still capable to play retired pinch shorter passes from nan backmost too.

"You would do very good to find nan cleanable keeper anyhow but, erstwhile I analyse his wide game, I consciousness for illustration Jordan understands his ain qualities and he has grown and developed into nan keeper we spot now.

"He knows what he is bully astatine and what he has possibly needed to activity at, and he is still moving astatine it now."

With nary evident weakness erstwhile it comes to keeping nan shot retired of nan net, Pickford's temperament has often been seen arsenic his biggest issue.

Rooney erstwhile felt he was "too agitated", particularly successful comparison to his long-time keeper astatine Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar, who was ever cool and composed.

But Walcott feels Pickford has changed arsenic he has grown older and reduced nan histrionics that utilized to beryllium his trademark.

"Jordan has calmed down a batch - I conscionable deliberation he has sewage a spot much mature," Walcott told BBC Sport.

"Earlier successful his profession location were times I played pinch him wherever it felt for illustration if he was saturated successful nan crippled he thought he had to do something, conscionable to consciousness for illustration he was involved.

"Now, though, I deliberation he really doesn't mind taking a measurement backmost because he understands that it starts pinch nan goalkeeper and if he is calm, it helps nan backmost 4 to beryllium calm and nan remainder of nan squad too.

"He is not really progressive successful immoderate scuffles anymore and that is down to maturity."

You would still ne'er picture Pickford arsenic being impassive, however, and Green feels that emotion is still a large portion of his make-up.

"Jordan virtually makes his ain sound astatine times but he has reached a constituent pinch each facet of his crippled wherever he has proved it has worked for him - truthful who are we to mobility it now?" Green added.

"He has been that bully complete specified a magnitude of clip wherever possibly everyone sat successful a workplace aliases successful nan stands, who utilized to opportunity 'oh no, location goes Jordan ranting again', should conscionable unopen up aliases alternatively opportunity 'well, possibly he knows what he is doing'."

For galore years, group linked Pickford's on-pitch characteristic to his performances - successful his first fewer seasons astatine Everton it felt for illustration we saw arsenic galore errors from him arsenic location were eruptions.

That has changed excessively - he has made overmuch less mistakes starring to goals erstwhile playing for his nine successful caller seasons, and that accrued attraction has agelong been evident for his country.

Peter Shilton, pinch a grounds 125 caps, is nan only man to person played much times successful extremity for England than Pickford, but he has still kept cleanable sheets successful precisely 50% of his appearances truthful acold and has made only 1 correction starring to a extremity since his world debut successful 2017 - a mediocre clearance against Belgium successful March 2024.

"That stat astir really only 1 correction has led to a extremity really shows nan level of consistency he has achieved for England, because successful position of world games played, that equates to 1 correction complete much than 2 Premier League seasons," Green said.

"In nan bigger picture, I deliberation immoderate of it is down to nan accrued value of Nations League games now, arsenic opposed to friendlies, because it intends Jordan is hardly ever playing down a squad wherever location person been 9 changes.

"The England head is picking a beardown broadside for each game, truthful that consistency is location successful beforehand of Jordan arsenic well. That helps, but in installments to him because he has reached nan aforesaid levels pinch Everton too.

"Arguably he sewage location quicker pinch England, astir apt because he was being bombarded pinch shots and crosses each week astatine Everton, but some sets of fans are astir apt successful nan aforesaid spot now, wherever they are conscionable grateful to person him."

Robinson, who played 41 times for England betwixt 2003 and 2007 and came adjacent to equalling Banks' grounds erstwhile he kept six consecutive cleanable sheets successful 2006, feels Pickford's expertise to woody pinch disapproval is different logic why he has remained England's first prime for truthful long.

"Jordan has worked highly difficult connected his game, but I besides deliberation he has worked highly difficult connected himself, and nan mentality of being England's number 1 arsenic well," Robinson added.

"When you play for England, you travel nether immense scrutiny whenever a extremity goes successful and you person to woody pinch nan sound - but Jordan has done much than that, he has silenced it. The disapproval that he had successful nan past is conscionable not location anymore.

"And while cleanable sheets are a corporate effort, if you really look astatine nan measurement he controls his defence pinch Everton, and for them to beryllium that beardown and unchangeable successful a struggling team, past a batch of that is down to him."

Pickford, who joined Everton from Sunderland successful June 2017 for £30m, past a British grounds interest for a keeper, made his 300th Premier League quality for them successful Sunday's triumph complete Crystal Palace. He started talks complete a caller statement past month, to widen a woody that ends successful 2027.

The past clip his statement was adjacent to moving out, successful 2023, he was linked pinch moves to Manchester United and Tottenham earlier committing to nan Toffees.

"It has amazed maine that he has been astatine Everton for truthful long," Walcott added.

"There person been times wherever I person thought Jordan is going to spell now, for Champions League shot somewhere, but it shows his characteristic that he has stayed.

"He has ever been happy being Everton's number one, which I tin understand. It's an unthinkable shot nine - knowing that if he did move it could impact his England career, truthful he hasn't."

Tuchel told his England players successful June that location is "a conflict for each position" and location was "no exception" for goalkeepers.

For Pickford, Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson, 28, and Manchester City's James Trafford, 22, some besides named successful nan squad to look Wales and Latvia, must beryllium seen arsenic his main rivals.

Nick Pope, 33, and his Newcastle team-mate Aaron Ramsdale, 27, are besides successful nan framework - but Pope has not been selected into immoderate of Tuchel's 4 squads truthful far. Ramsdale made it into 1 but, for illustration Trafford astatine Manchester City, he is not presently first-choice astatine his club.

"I don't deliberation immoderate of them person sewage nan aforesaid beingness arsenic Jordan, who is not conscionable England's champion goalkeeper now, he's 1 of nan champion goalkeepers we person ever had," said Walcott, astir a subordinate who had a cardinal domiciled successful runs to nan 2018 World Cup semi-final and nan European Championship last successful 2021 and 2024.

"He is underappreciated," added Rooney. "His performances for Everton but much truthful for England successful nan large tournaments person been incredible. When group talk astir keepers worldwide, he doesn't get mentioned that often but he is decidedly up there.

"He is simply a awesome characteristic and awesome to person successful nan dressing room. I cognize Jordan good and he is awesome nosy to beryllium around. He is surely personification you want successful nan dressing room and is not acrophobic to speak his mind arsenic well, which is ever good."

There are only 2 much world camps earlier nan World Cup, successful November and March, truthful opportunities are constricted for Henderson, who presently has 3 caps, and Trafford, who has none, to adhd to their elder England experience.

"The pecking bid is good and genuinely set," according to Green, who played 12 times for England from 2005 to 2012. "It is Pickford, and past nan others.

"You cognize Pickford has been location and done it, successful nan biggest moments and nether nan astir unit you tin beryllium arsenic a keeper.

"I don't deliberation we person been astatine nan crunch constituent successful nan past fewer awesome tournaments and thought replacing Pickford would beryllium nan answer. It's ne'er been portion of nan chat earlier erstwhile group talk astir what would person made nan quality betwixt winning and losing, and I don't deliberation it is now."

Robinson agrees that replacing Pickford should beryllium a "non-topic" and feels alternatively we should attraction connected what he brings to nan England team.

"This is nan first clip successful a agelong clip that location isn't a statement astir who should beryllium England's number one, which is in installments to him because he has been superb," Robinson said.

"We had that pinch David Seaman and location was a short clip erstwhile I was location arsenic well, and I cognize from acquisition that erstwhile you put nan mobility to bed, you cognize you are winning, because it is simply a changeless chat that everyone likes to have.

"With Jordan you look astatine nan 78 caps he has won and his acquisition astatine awesome tournaments, really heavy he has gone successful them, and location is nary mobility that erstwhile an England team-sheet comes retired past his sanction is astatine nan apical of it, arsenic Seaman's sanction ever was galore years ago.

"That's nan level Jordan is astatine now, and we possibly return for granted what he brings to that position. There is simply a plethora of different goalkeeping talent, absolutely, but each azygous 1 is astatine different stages, ether pinch their assurance and acquisition aliases wherever they are astatine successful their nine football.

"Dean Henderson is having a awesome season, technically he is very bully and astatine immoderate constituent he will beryllium correct up location to return nan job. But location is nary request for a speech astir that correct now."