Pickford On Taking Chances & Everton Resilience

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford, Jordan Pickford took part in a wide-ranging Q&A, reflecting on West Ham defeat, the team’s strong defensive form plus the need to covert more chances…

Jordan, the team have had some cruel and unwarranted defeats this season, but that one against West Ham last week must have felt like possibly the cruellest given how it finished? 

JP: Yes it was one of them, you play well but then get beat. It’s never nice, you’d rather play horrifically and steal a 1-0 win. But the positives are we are creating a lot of chances, playing some good football in the build-up and mixing our game up very well.

We need to be more clinical and be harsher on ourselves. Also, the goals we concede – the first and second could have been dealt with better. We got countered on the third, so you can’t take that into context too much. But the biggest learning curve from the weekend was being better in both boxes. We need to stay hard to beat and take our chances – be more clinical.

That’s been a big thing all season hasn’t it? Because defensively you have been as good as anyone this season – fourth-best defensive record in the league in fact. How much pride do you take from that as a goalkeeper? 

JP: It’s not just myself, I am there to help my teammates in front of me. But it starts with the centre-forward and it’s a full team effort. I will never take too much praise, I am there to do my best to get a clean sheet for Everton. But there is the defence and the midfield, it really is a full team effort. I never try to take the credit, the lads all work hard.

It’s a great platform to build on that, isn’t it? 

JP: It is a great platform, the lads know the platform is there. Working hard off the ball is a given, the intensity, the distances the lads are covering, everything is there. But it’s about at the other end now.

The numbers are there attacking, too, aren’t they? In terms of creating chances. Have you ever known a period like this in which you have created so much and not scored enough?

JP: It is one of them. Hopefully, we will turn a corner and lads we start hitting them.  I have to give credit to [Alphonse] Areola last week – he had a worldie. He made 11 saves, including one from a penalty. So, we want to be better but sometimes the goalkeeper has a great game against you.

You mention the penalty miss, how high up the pecking order are you now for taking one?

JP: I don’t get involved in all that. That’s football, and penalty misses can happen. Jimmy (James Garner) puts in a great delivery for Beto and he scores it, so hopefully that builds his confidence. He bounced back from missing that penalty in the first half. He’s a good character.

Talking about the wider club, how important was it to get some points back? Did it alleviate some of the pressure on the club? 

JP: We’ve been our own worst enemy at times with results not going our way when they should have. We have lost valuable points, but we have managed to get a few back from the appeal, which has given us some breathing space, but now it is about taking on that next challenge. Not looking back but looking forward.

Was it impacting the players, the uncertainty? 

JP: I don’t think at first, but the rumours ramp up a bit more and it gets brought up in the changing room a little bit more. It does have a little bit of an effect. For me, I had the mindset of at worst you get none back and you just keep cracking on, you know, try and let the football take care of itself.

Manchester United next, then, what do you make of their recent form? Some great spells and then the opposite at times, as well. 

JP: They turned us over at our place earlier in the season, but it is a game we can get after. The intensity in our team is very high and I think we can get right after them. They are a top side, but they have a few injuries, so we can capitalise on that. It’s always tough to get to Old Trafford and get a result, but we have been good away from home and this is a challenge we will relish taking on.