- Pickford has won all 60 of his caps under Gareth Southgate.
- The 30-year-old has remained virtually undisputed as number one under England.
- Prejudice and bias are dangerous claims made by these clubs. Liverpool, Arsenal and now Forest. It’s embarrassing – Listen to the Podcast Everything is beginning
Fabio Capello has said that England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is “a problem” and that the national team is vulnerable out of “fear” when it comes to international tournaments.
The former England coach, who left two years after the team’s disastrous 2010 World Cup, told the Laureus Awards in Madrid that Pickford was sometimes afraid to pass the ball to his defenders, pumping it long and giving possession back to opponents. .
“There are some problems with the goalkeeper,” he said. ‘Sometimes he’s good. Sometimes he’s really good. I watched the match they lost against Italy: the final (of the European Championship) at Wembley (in 2021). After 20 minutes, he started throwing long balls.
He suggested that this reflected a fear of the ball in Pickford, who felt: “I’d rather the ball be on the other side and not near me.”
This affected the rest of the team, Capello added. ‘When you have a really good goalkeeper, it’s something else. Confidence,’ he stated.
Former England manager Fabio Capello believes the Three Lions have a goalkeeping problem
Jordan Pickford has remained virtually undisputed as England’s number one under Gareth Southgate.
On the English defence, Capello said: “I think the centre-back has some problems and is not at the same level as the other part of the team.” The midfield is good, the forwards are really good. The right and left defenders are good. I have some doubts about these two centre-backs and some doubts about the goalkeeper.
‘I like England. Their midfielders and forwards are the best (Jude) Bellingham, (Harry) Kane, (Bukayo) Saka. But the problem is that when it comes time to win, sometimes they play with fear.”
Asked if he thought Southgate was doing a good job, Capello said: “It’s not my question.” You have to ask the board. I ended my contract with the English football federation, not because of problems but because of John Terry.
Capello refused to say whether Gareth Southgate was doing a good job as England manager.
This time it’s different. It’s about results. My problem was leadership because the federation decided that John Terry was guilty and for me he was not guilty and that was it for me.
The 25th edition of the Laureus World Sports Awards took place on Monday 22 April in Madrid and celebrated the biggest names in sport from around the world. For more information, visit www.laureus.com