Former Arsenal midfielder and World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit has expressed doubts about Jordan Pickford's ability to perform at the highest level, suggesting the goalkeeper could cost England the World Cup.
Petit's concerns over Pickford
Speaking to talkSPORT, Petit said he was 'not impressed' by Pickford's display in England's 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas. The Frenchman believes Pickford should have done better for Martin Baturina's opening goal and lacks the consistency required for a title-winning team.
'I was not really impressed by Pickford,' Petit stated. 'I think he should have done better on the first goal, definitely. He made some saves, but I don't know, I don't feel it. If you want to go until the end, you need to have one of the strongest goalkeepers in the competition. And that's my opinion. You may disagree with me, but I'm not really confident with him.'
Deeney echoes the sentiment
Former Watford striker Troy Deeney also shared his concerns, telling CBS Sports that Pickford does not inspire confidence. 'There's just that feeling when I watch Jordan…there's a shot from 50 yards and it trickles to him and he's screaming at everyone, 'Do your job! Don't let any shots come in!' Every time he parries one, fouls someone, does whatever, he's like, 'Don't look at me!'' Deeney said. 'We're trying to win a World Cup. That's why we're here. In my opinion, and respectfully Jordan, because you know I like you. We can't win it with that guy in goal. He doesn't give you any confidence.'
England's overall performance praised
Despite his reservations about Pickford, Petit remains optimistic about England's chances in the tournament. He praised the team's fluidity, movement, pace, and intensity, particularly highlighting captain Harry Kane's leadership and defensive work.
'Croatia is a great country; it's a huge team, but I've been very confident from the start with England,' Petit added. 'Why? Because the fluidity, the movement, the pace, the intensity, there were the commitment as well. Everything was right from the start. And I was very, very happy to see that.'
Petit singled out Kane for special praise after his all-action display, which included two goals and crucial defensive contributions. 'There is one player particularly that impressed me a lot and that's Harry Kane,' Petit said. 'You put aside the two goals he scored; it was his defensive work too. At the end of the game, he was the last defender and he put his body just in front of the striker. And I thought to myself, this is typical of a central defender, and he was acting exactly the same way.'
England's next World Cup match is against Ghana on Tuesday in Boston.
