Should Everton consider dropping Pickford?

As Everton supporters mull over the frankly embarrassing defensive display at Newcastle United on Saturday, should the Blues consider a change in goal?

This might sound like a controversial idea but it strikes me that Jordan Pickford’s erratic form is a problem that is compounding the difficulties facing Everton defensively.

The Toffees have been simply horrible at the back for much of the season. Even when the Blues were playing better overall and scoring goals earlier in the campaign, they were giving away soft goals left, right and centre.

Most of the focus has been on the frailties of the central defenders and the possible confusion over zonal marking etc.

But one aspect of Everton’s problems has been the up and down form of the goalkeeper. Pickford has produced some very inconsistent performances.

The England keeper came into the current season following a strong showing in the World Cup, which also cemented his place in the Blues goal.

However this campaign Pickford has often been below his best. He has mixed some excellent efforts with some frankly bizarre ones, which have cost Everton dearly at times. That was most strikingly on display in that immensely frustrating derby defeat at Anfield in December.

His performance at St James’ Park was one of his worst and contributed significantly to the Toffees dreadful defeat.

For a start he should have been sent off for the clumsy tackle he performed on Soloman Rondon, which led to Newcastle’s penalty. True he saved the spot-kick, but it was not a good start to put it mildly.

It highlighted his increasing tendency to make strangely absent-minded decisions in critical situations.

Later on of course he was culpable for Newcastle’s second goal as he fumbled the ball allowing the Magpies to score the equaliser.

All goalkeepers make misjudgments and drop the odd high ball. But there does seem to be an issue with Pickford’s, decisions, his ability to command his area and instil confidence in the defenders in front of him.

This is also not just a problem for him. Most goalkeepers these days seem to struggle with that aspect of the game. Traditionally, especially in England, keepers have been much more dominant coming for and claiming the ball in the air.

But today’s custodians are required to be footballers as well as keepers with the modern emphasis on playing out from the back being very much in vogue.

Pickford is the modern goalkeeper, par excellence in this respect. He is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and tends to be prepared to take risks in possession that most keepers in the past wouldn’t.

Although the ability of these keepers to play with the ball at their feet is a progressive development, given the high number of goals scored from set-pieces in the Premier League, your keeper’s strength dealing with such situations and making the right decision is still critical.

It may be more difficult to handle the ball today when it does so much in the flight but you still need to show you have the ability to catch it consistently and give confidence to your defenders you will do so.

Everton have Maarten Stekelenberg and young Joao Virginia signed last summer, in reserve. Stekelenberg is a solid enough keeper and has plenty of top-flight experience, while Virginia arrived with a fine reputation.

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So it might just be worth giving one of them a spell in the team to try to shore up this crucial area of the Toffees defence.

I think that with Everton’s defenders having such a struggle dealing with almost any direct or high ball directed at them, the team need a more consistent, reliable keeper behind them.

At the moment I’m not sure that’s Pickford. Don’t get me wrong I think he is a talented goalkeeper, but perhaps he has lost his way a little bit.

A spell out of the team without the pressure and spotlight to deal with might just do him some good in the long-run too.