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If the UEFA Nations League was a test of England’s chances in the 2022 World Cup, then they failed it miserably. The Three Lions failed to win any of their six group games bringing manager Gareth Southgate under deserved criticism.
To say the least, Harry Kane and co were dismal in Group 3 of League A. They suffered three defeats and registered as many stalemates. There was further uproar as Hungary managed to complete the double over them in their duels this past summer. These results have come in the backdrop of the World Cup which has cast dark clouds over England’s prospects in the FIFA global event.
At any other time, the blip in form could have been brushed aside. But the expectations from this side remain high following their path to the 2020 European Championships final. Without an international friendly to look forward to until the start of the competition, doubts over the Three Lions’ ability to lift silverware have been further heightened.
In three weeks, the Three Lions will be kickstarting their campaign against Iran followed by duels against USA and Wales. Calls have been made about Southgate’s future and whether he is the right man to lead England’s ‘new’ golden generation into the winter tournament.
There is genuine grief amongst English fans against the manager. However, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford does not believe with the assessments and has leapt to the manager’s defence.
‘Brilliant’ Southgate is the solution
Pickford, who is the preferred shot-stopper by Southgate, hailed the former Middleborough gaffer as a “brilliant manager” and made calls to support him at this juncture of their preparations.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper dismissed their current dismal form and pointed towards the team’s performances in the two prior international competitions. England were knocked out in the semi-finals of the 2018 edition of the World Cup and followed it with their final appearance in the European Championships.
“Gareth is a brilliant manager,” Pickford told the PA news agency. “He is brilliant and we will go to the World Cup positive. We will give it our best shot and hopefully bring the cup home.
“I think for us it is about making the nation proud and doing our best in the tournament. We know what we are capable of doing and we have great squad togetherness.
“Togetherness gets you so far, so I think if we haven’t won in six, it is not the end of the world and we will still be going to Qatar as positive as anything after the last two tournaments.”
English revolution at Goodison Park
Due to injury and squad rotation, Pickford has not featured in England’s last four matches. The Washington native is looking to get back to featuring again for the Three Lions.
In his opinion, he is not the only Toffees star who should get a call-up for the World Cup and believes that there is a contingent of English players at Everton who will be quality additions to the Qatar travelling party.
“Yeah, we have some great English talent at Everton, which is great,” Pickford said. “We don’t really talk about it because our sole focus is on Everton at the time being and putting in good performances for Everton can only give each other a chance for the World Cup or future times with England.”
Anthony Gordon and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are eyeing attacking berths, while Conor Coady and James Tarkowski are amongst the probables for the backline.
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