Tuchel faces an awkward choice after Pickford’s nervy night at Wembley
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I was in the press box for England’s 3-0 win over Czech Republic last night, and it was, on the surface, a perfect performance. Harry Kane scored twice on his record-equalling 125th appearance, Morgan Rogers produced a brilliant assist on the half-volley and Jude Bellingham was outstanding once again. Not to mention Vladimir Coufal’s remarkable own goal with a finish Kane would have been proud of.
But something that went under the radar was Jordan Pickford’s nervy game. Inside five minutes, Pickford was almost tackled on the edge of his own box, and only narrowly escaped the attentions of another Czech forward a few moments later. Later in the first half he rushed out of his goal and hit a sliced clearance into orbit, which came down no more than 15 yards from where it was kicked.
Then, in the second half, Pickford played a hurried kick which went straight to a Czech player near the centre circle. On the sideline, Thomas Tuchel threw up his arms in frustration.
Pickford has been a reliable goalkeeper for England and Everton. His long kicking is well renowned, and Premier League statistics also mark him out as an elite shot-stopper. Yet it is also true that he can seem a bundle of nerves at times, displaying all those hurried fast-twitch movements, the distinct ferret energy, like a remote control player steered by a kid’s hyperactive thumb.
This is nothing new. In the final 30 minutes of England’s World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina, Pickford kept kicking long when the short pass was on and it contributed to Argentina’s waves of pressure. Enzo Fernandez scored 90 seconds after one of Pickford’s long kicks upfield.
So Tuchel is thinking carefully about the situation. He has used this Nations League campaign to give James Trafford two competitive games, and the Leeds United goalkeeper performed well. Incidentally, when former coaches and teammates are asked about the 23-year-old, the words that repeatedly come up are “confident” and “calm”.
The England manager was able to explain away the decision to bench Pickford as a chance to give Trafford valuable experience, but there will come a point during this Nations League campaign, perhaps in the knockout stages in March, when Tuchel has to make a difficult choice. And on the evidence of last night, Trafford might be the calming presence that this England team requires.
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Jordan Pickford was benched for two games during the international break (Getty Images)
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New Zealand host Australia in the Bledisloe Cup in Auckland on Sunday, as the two countries renew their rugby rivalry. How many of their 181 matches have been won by the All Blacks?
a) 98. b) 128. c) 148.
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Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
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Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
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Inside the Fifa stalemate
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The trenches are now being dug as both Gianni Infantino and the Uefa-led alliance against him set out big positions, with no sign of give either way. But that is just opening the way for bigger powers – and more crises like this, writes Miguel Delaney in his latest Inside Football newsletter.
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New members enjoy their first month of Inside Football completely FREE
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How a farcical China Open finale highlighted tennis’s biggest problem
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An unusual detail about Novak Djokovic’s seventh China Open title was that the last three matches of the tournament all ended without a match point being played, writes Flo Clifford. Daniil Medvedev was defaulted for hitting a spectator with a ball, and both semi-finalists in the other half of the draw, Hubert Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur, ultimately retired with injury, the latter in the final itself.
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“Sinner won five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row from March to May, four of them widely-reviled two-week events, with little time to recover in between. He made history as the youngest man to complete the career set of Masters. But at what cost?”
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Red Bull are throwing money at rugby’s Newcastle problem – but will it actually work?
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Red Bull took over and rebranded the Prem’s perennial bottom-feeders Newcastle and, as Luke Baker explains, there is unbridled excitement about rugby at Kingston Park.
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Jim Furyk’s fighting talk shows USA path to Ryder Cup redemption in Ireland
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This time it will be different, Jim Furyk maintains, both in his second outing as USA captain at a Ryder Cup and off the back of consecutive defeats at the hands of his European counterpart Luke Donald.
Misery at Marco Simone and bedlam at Bethpage Black has left the Americans spinning and embracing, according to Furyk, a newfound status.
“We’re the underdogs,” Furyk unmistakably uttered, despite possessing Scottie Scheffler, the best player of a generation, yet one that continues to struggle when representing the stars and stripes. “I know it’s always been played, we come in, the Americans seem to be the favourites.
“This year, there’s no chance that that could happen. We’re the underdogs. We understand that. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. And you know, I’m excited about that process. I’m a process guy, getting our ducks in a row, putting these guys in a good position and letting our guys go out and show their talent.
“It’s going to be difficult. The fans here – Irish fans, Irish sports are amazing but folks are going come in droves from all over Europe to support their favourite countrymen. I’ve been saying it all week, I need 12 guys that love that atmosphere and love walking into that type of arena because it takes a certain mentality. Those are the guys I’ll be looking for.”
Read more, by Jack Rathborn.
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Team captains Jim Furyk and Luke Donald pose with the Ryder Cup Trophy (Getty Images)
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b) New Zealand have won 128 of their 181 meetings with Australia. The Wallabies have won 45, and eight games have ended in a draw.
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