Making the case for Pope as number one for Euros

England’s opening game at the rearranged European Championship is now just 115 days away and Gareth Southgate still has some big decisions to make. Perhaps the most important one is who starts in goal.

The England manager seems like a loyal sort and if the match was tomorrow then it would be very likely that Jordan Pickford would get the nod against Croatia. The Everton ‘keeper performed well at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was an inspirational figure throughout, delivering an iconic moment against Colombia in the last sixteen.

But the former Sunderland goalkeeper’s game has been strewn with errors since he came of age in Russia. Several high profile mistakes have been at the forefront but as recently as Wednesday night another of the problems were brought into focus.

Bernardo Silva’s shot should have been a simple save for most Premier League goalkeepers. In fact, any professional ‘keeper would probably have been disappointed to concede from it. But Pickford failed to get a strong hand on the effort and palmed it into the corner to put the game beyond Everton.

The time has come for Nick Pope to take the reins for Southgate.

The former Charlton goalkeeper broke into the Burnley team in the early stages of the 2017/18 season after Tom Heaton sustained an injury. Many felt Pope would just be a placeholder until Heaton’s return but such were the strength of his performances, Pope retained his place.

A shoulder injury in July 2018 restricted Pope to just three appearances that season but the 28-year-old has since bounced back and has only missed one Premier League game in the last two seasons, playing every minute otherwise.

Pope has done his time on loan in the lower divisions which has helped steel him for the weekly battles against international level strikers.

The once York City loanee does the simple things very well. On a very basic level, he is just a better shot-stopped than Pickford. It’s rare that you would see the kind of mistakes that Pickford makes coming from Pope.

One of the perceived advantages that Pickford has is his ability with the ball at feet and his distribution. Pope isn’t expected to do as much of this at Burnley and does not look as comfortable when doing so as Pickford.

But against Fulham on Wednesday, in a game where he had precious little to do, it was interesting to watch Pope kicking it long. They weren’t just aimless punts downfield. Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes were continuously picked out, incredibly accurately. Seeking out Harry Kane in a similar manner could be a useful weapon when England need to mix it up.

It’s also hard to see the big advantage in playing out from the back if you’re incredibly vulnerable to conceding if it were to go wrong. Pope would be much less of a concern in this scenario.

Pickford does seem to possess some leadership skills which Southgate will value, but Pope is no shrinking violet either. Against the Cottagers, Pope was constantly encouraging and helping to organise the defence. This was particularly helpful in the absence of experience defender Ben Mee.

While it’s true that Sean Dyche’s tactics definitely help Pope in terms of the defensive structure offering great protection, Southgate’s England have been conservative at large since he took charge and won’t necessarily be wide open, exposing Pope in a way he wouldn’t be used to. John Stones and Harry Maguire, shielded by Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson is not a bad setup by any means.

The Clarets’ keeper offers a confidence and assuredness that whilst understated, takes away any worries while you’re watching him. When a Fulham effort looped up in the air towards the end of the match on Wednesday, it never looked like causing danger with Pope in goal. The same could not necessarily be said for Pickford.

The hard decision now lays with Southgate. Do you go with loyalty and keep Pickford between the sticks or do you go with Pope? At the moment, in terms of current form, you could argue the latter should be the one who starts England’s opening match against Croatia at Wembley on June 13.

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