Jordan Pickford proves why Lee Carsley MUST give England's other goalkeepers a chance

ENGLAND 1-2 GREECE: Jordan Pickford had one of his weakest performances in an England shirt on Thursday, as interim boss Lee Carsley tasted defeat for the first time

Perhaps Jordan Pickford reckoned Declan Rice needed some help in central midfield when he dashed out of his penalty area early in the game.

To be fair, the Arsenal man looked as though he needed some company in Lee Carsley’s slapdash system. And what happened next probably surprised very few seasoned Pickford observers.

The Everton keeper gave away possession and his blushes were only spared by the most fantastic of last-ditch clearances from Levi Colwill. Pickford has been a wonderful servant to this England team and invaluable to his club during their struggles. But he is not as accomplished with his feet as some - including, most significantly, himself - like to think he is.

And he was not overly convincing with his hands on this Wembley occasion either, flapping at one high ball before an assistant referee’s flag ruled out another Greek effort. Predictably, and understandably, the nature of Pickford’s performance will again raise questions about his ongoing suitability for the number one role with England.

And while the main culprits in the Greek opener early in the second half were the four characters who somehow failed to meaningfully challenge Vangelis Pavlidis, Pickford might have done better with the shot. It was a forgettable night for a stalwart of this side.

But it was no reason to think his time as first-choice keeper is over. It was, though, a reason for Carsley to tell Pickford that, when it comes to selection post-Southgate, he is not a shoo-in. England’s next engagement is against Finland on Sunday - it is surely an occasion when Dean Henderson or Nick Pope can be given a chance.

There was probably some mitigation for Pickford’s troubles against Greece, mainly that he was keeping goal behind a team that managed to look confused and arrogant at the same time. For an hour of this bizarre game, it looked like Carsley was a man who did not want the permanent gig.

And Pickford looked bemused by the way the Greeks were able to find space and create chances seemingly at will. It wasn’t only Carsley’s tactics - or what passed for tactics - that were to blame. There were one or two individual performances that suggested certain players were occasionally taking their brilliance for granted.

Get involved! Should Jordan Pickford be dropped by Lee Carsley? Have your say in the comments section.

Think Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer. You would hope those two had specific instructions from Carsley but for long periods, they had the air of a couple of players who thought they could pretty much do as they please.

Harnessing the excellence of Bellingham and Palmer is going to be one of the biggest examinations of whoever gets the long-term manager’s job.

Pickford is the sort of character who does not take his place for granted, even though he was, at the age of 30, winning his 71st cap and even though he has kept 33 clean sheets in those games and has been largely excellent at major tournaments. He is also a valuable member of the leadership group and a very important member of the squad off the field.

And he remains a fine keeper, albeit an excitable one. But he is in need of a serious rival and the time to give those rivals a chance is now.

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