- Everton’s defence dished up another poor display in defeat against West Ham.
- In a tense game, the Blues’ back line handed the Hammers three precious points.
- Michael Ball believes Jordan Pickford needs to address a weak spot in his game.
Everton’s past two games have not been pleasant viewing for supporters as their usually resilient defence has been exposed.
In their encounters against Liverpool and West Ham United, the Blues have conceded four goals, two of which have been from corners.
Each goal had an underlying theme of sloppiness, which is pretty off-key for a team that has achieved 11 Premier League clean sheets this season.
Jordan Pickford has been a hero for the Toffees since he arrived in 2017, but ex-Everton defender Michael Ball believes he needs to address a weakness in his game.
‘His weak spot is on crosses’ states Michael Ball
Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Ball claimed that Pickford has been ‘fantastic’ for the Toffees but must work on his presence in the box.
He said: “I’ve said it many times over the years, Jordan Pickford is a fantastic goalkeeper but his weak spot is on crosses.
“He very rarely comes out to try and claim them.
“I’m not saying he’s got to come out all the time, but I think his starting point needs to change. He starts on the goal line, then goes backwards.
“He did it for the Van Dijk goal and West Ham’s opener. It happened a couple of times against Spurs.
“I feel his starting point needs to be two or three yards further forward to force the corner-kick taker to deliver the ball a lot deeper into the box.
“Then it’s got to be an unbelievable header to try and cause us a problem.”
Pickford has historically faced criticism around how he manages his penalty area, and it seems to be a recurring issue, regardless of the phenomenal saves he pulls off.
Pickford is not the only reason for Everton’s defensive weakness
While it is true that Pickford can do better with his work around crosses, it is clear that the Blues are sorely missing Jarrad Branthwaite.
A player of Branthwaite’s quality brings calmness and clarity to the Everton defence, and since he was substituted off during the Merseyside Derby, that unit has taken a real blow.
As a naturally left-footed defender, and because of his size and physicality, the Toffees must make sure he returns next season, fully recovered and ready to go.
It is just sheer bad luck that Everton have lost their best defender at such a crucial point in the season, but they must rediscover the solidity they found earlier in the season when Branthwaite once again missed out through injury.
