LONG READ
UNDISPUTED
By Mike Taylor
Jordan Pickford sits down with the Official Matchday Programme to discuss what’s left to play for this season, a huge summer ahead with England at the World Cup, coming up against his boyhood Black Cats, and his dreams for the future...
Football fans have long enjoyed an ironic chant.
That is not to disrespect Pickford’s competitors, but to credit the Washington-born stopper for cementing his place in a role that is arguably England’s most scrutinised.
With 82 caps to his name – all achieved as an Everton player – Pickford has set multiple records for the Three Lions – the most consecutive clean sheets, the longest streak without conceding, and the most appearances for a goalkeeper in major tournaments, to name a few.
He has become a leader for Club and country since making his senior England debut in November 2017 – and, speaking ahead of a pivotal period on both fronts, insists he is as keen as ever to thrive off that pressure.
“Honestly? I never get nervous,” the 32-year-old smiles. “I never have done. I enjoy that feeling of pressure. I think those scenarios, those moments, get the best out of me.
“It’s an important time. We want to finish the season strong and see where it takes us, then I will have a little break and it will be full World Cup mode. I’m excited for what’s to come.
“I want to contribute in every way I can. I try to be a leader in whatever team I’m in. One player has got to wear the captain’s armband but you need more leaders than that in the team to be successful. I want to play my part in driving my team forward – for Everton and for England.”
Pickford’s consistency has been outstanding since his arrival from boyhood club Sunderland nine years ago. His 355 outings for the Toffees to date puts him at 25th in the Club’s all-time appearances list, with Giants such as Kevin Sheedy and Colin Harvey likely to be overtaken in those standings next campaign.
To put that in today’s Premier League terms, only Everton teammate Seamus Coleman (372) has made more outings than Pickford (327) for their current club, with departing duo Mohamed Salah for Liverpool (313) and Bernardo Silva for Manchester City (299) third and fourth respectively.
Pickford is well-placed, then, to plot Everton’s progress this term.
“It’s been good, a lot better,” says Pickford. “I think we’ve made a lot of improvements overall. You look at the wins and performances away from home we’ve had, then, more recently, the buzz we’ve created around Hill Dickinson Stadium – the Chelsea game being the standout – it’s been positive. In truth, we’ve probably left a few points out there which would have put us higher than where we currently find ourselves, so that’s a bit frustrating but from where we’ve been to where we are now, both as a team and as a club, it’s definitely going in the right direction.
“The manager [David Moyes] has put his own stamp on it. He is a workhorse! He’s non-stop. He won’t leave anything to chance and will never cut corners. He puts a lot of work in to give us the detail to give us the best opportunity to win each game.
“He knows the Club so well, he knows how to get the best out of individuals and, on top of all that, he knows Evertonians and what they demand from their team – and I think that’s been a massive help as well.”
The Sunderland contest brought down the curtain on the Club’s maiden home campaign at the world-class, 52,769-capacity waterfront home, Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It’s been a transition Pickford continues to enjoy.
“I love it, I really do,” he explains. “Look, the history of Goodison will always be there. We said it was a new chapter moving into this stadium and that’s exactly what it is.
“It’s an amazing stadium. I think the toughest thing this season has been the fans maybe not having as many Saturday games as they – and we – would have liked.
“You look back at games like the 3-0 win over Chelsea and the atmosphere for that and it’s incredible. It’s more difficult to replicate that feeling on Monday nights and kick-off times like that.
“But we know the fans will always bring the passion, regardless of where or when we’re playing. That’s what they do.
“I love the stadium and I love that the fans have bought into it as well. The noise you hear is right up there, isn’t it? It can be absolutely bouncing. It’s up to us to give them more action like that to cheer about.”
Pickford’s son, Arlo, was the beaming mascot in this season’s reverse fixture of today’s game, when Everton played out a 1-1 draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in November.
Regis Le Bris’ side, who returned to the top-flight via last season’s play-offs after an eight-year absence, head to Merseyside with their Premier League status for next season already well secured and just one point and two places behind the Blues in the league table.
“I think it’s just great to see them doing well,” says Pickford. “They’ve ended up being our competitors. I want Sunderland to be stable in the Premier League, because that’s where they deserve to be.
“Will it be strange to play them here? I’d say it was a lot stranger going up there. We obviously got a draw, then they beat us in the FA Cup which wasn’t a good moment for us.
“There’s no doubt we’re coming into it looking to finish on a high, looking to take three points and we’ll see where we end up.
“I’m looking forward to it. Arlo will be here again – he loved being mascot in the game up there, and my two daughters and the rest of my family will be here as well.”
Pickford ranks his astonishing reaction save to deny Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali in the dying seconds at St James’ Park – ensuring a 3-2 away win in the process – as his personal save of the season so far, narrowly pipping a diving save at full stretch to keep out Joshua Zirkzee’s well-placed header during a 1-0 away win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
As well as those highlight-reel moments, typically solid displays have ensured there is no debate as to who will be Thomas Tuchel’s goalkeeper for England when this summer’s World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico gets under way next month.
“Honestly? I never get nervous. I never have done. I enjoy that feeling of pressure. I think those scenarios, those moments, get the best out of me."
“You’ve just got to enjoy it – the ride, the journey you go on at these tournaments,” Pickford insists.
“You’ve got to enjoy every day. You wake up with a smile on your face and take in the experiences of being with the group, being in that environment of a world stage.
“We’ve come so close and there have been a lot of disappointments but we talk about the journeys and we want this to be our moment.
“I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE IN EVERY WAY I CAN. I WANT TO PLAY MY PART IN DRIVING MY TEAM FORWARD – FOR EVERTON AND FOR ENGLAND.”
Jordan Pickford
“Look, it’s never plain sailing. These tournaments are rollercoasters of ups and downs but you have to ride them and keep going.
“Now we’ve got a new manager in Thomas [Tuchel] and it’s our first tournament with him, so he’ll have his own stamp to put on it. I know we’ll step on the gas and we all know where we want to get to.”
All things considered, it’s no stretch to already consider Pickford amongst England’s best all-time goalkeepers, and, still only in his early 30s, he feels there is still plenty more still to come.
“I’m young,” says Pickford, who is set to participate in his fifth major international tournament. “I read recently that [Guillermo] Ochoa from Mexico could play in his sixth World Cup! That’s incredible! But, yeah, I feel like I’m getting better all the time, with each game and each training session. That’s always what I’ve strived for.
“I’m always asking myself, ‘How can I improve?’, and demanding more from myself. I think that’s what got me to where I am today and seen me play so many games for Everton and England.”
Back to Club matters, Pickford is excited for what’s to come, after pledging his long-term future to the Toffees in October last year.
“Whether we make it into Europe or just fall short, there’s been clear progression we want to continue, and that’s why I committed my future here,” he says.
“Whatever happens, I’ll come back flying for the start of the season and we want to succeed.
“We’ll keep our foot on the gas, as players and staff, to keep moving forward. That’s what you have to do when you’re representing Everton.
“I love representing this club, helping set the standards the fans expect, and it’s all about sustaining that to achieve something.
“It’s always tough, of course, but I still want to win silverware here. I want us players to write our own bit of history, to give the fans that feeling back. It’d be massive.
“You look at teams like Crystal Palace as an example, who won the FA Cup last year, now they’re in a European final, so that’s something we need to look to replicate.
“It’s never easy, but that’s the challenge.”
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