England face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night with a place in the World Cup final at stake. For Jordan Pickford, opportunity knocks.
He will start the semi-final at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (kick-off 8pm BST) against an Argentina side appearing in their third successive World Cup semi-final. It is a meeting with history.
The two have played each other 14 times, England winning six, Argentina five, with three draws. Diego Maradona’s Hand of God settled the 1986 quarter-final. David Beckham was sent off in 1998 before scoring the winning penalty against the same opponents four years later.
The Messi factor
Wednesday adds a new layer: this is the first time Lionel Messi has faced England in any fixture, at club or international level, despite scoring 27 times against English opposition for Barcelona and PSG.
Pickford arrives in Atlanta having started every England match at the tournament, with a record of six goals conceded in six games, including clean sheets against Panama and Ghana. He was especially heroic in the last 16 win over Mexico as England played most of the second half with ten men following Jarell Quansah’s red card
He was also called upon for extra-time saves in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway.
Quansah’s suspension rules him out again on Wednesday, and Declan Rice’s health and fitness are a concern after he was withdrawn against Norway, meaning England’s defensive unit may again be subject to change.
Argentina’s route has been less comfortable than the holders would have liked. They needed extra-time to beat Cape Verde, came from two goals down against Egypt, then needed extra-time again to see off Switzerland.
That pattern of slow starts and late goals puts an even greater emphasis on England’s game management, an area where Pickford’s distribution and command of his box have been consistent features of his Everton form under David Moyes, and most of this World Cup under Thomas Tuchel.
But the specific challenge Messi poses is different to anything Pickford has faced this tournament. He operates differently than a conventional forward, drawing defenders out of position before the ball is played into space behind them.
Penalty nightmare?
Pickford’s positioning at Everton has generally been built around a high starting line and quick reactions to through balls, a method suited to exactly this kind of movement. Projected Argentina lineups have Messi playing off Julian Alvarez, with Alexis Mac Allister joining in, meaning Pickford could face shots and cutbacks from multiple angles rather than just a central threat.
There is also the matter of penalties, given both the 1998 shootout defeat to Argentina and Pickford’s own record of remaining unbeaten in shootouts for England at major tournaments. Should Wednesday’s match go to extra time and penalties, that record comes into play again.
A win sends England into Sunday’s final in New York against the winner of France and Spain. Defeat means a soul-destroying third-place play-off in Miami on Saturday.
Either way, the performance of Jordan Pickford performance in Atlanta will be scrutinised by Evertonians used to seeing him under this kind of pressure every week, just without quite this much riding on it.
