Jordan Pickford calling the 0-0 draw with West Ham a “proper Everton” display will leave fans fearing their prospects this season.
Speaking after the game (9 November) at the London Stadium, Pickford praised the fighting spirit to secure a point after he made a late flurry of saves to deny Danny Ings.
The rest of the match, however, left Pickford with very little to do, and rather than highlighting his side’s ability to dig in deep, the Toffees goalkeeper should be disappointed that they didn’t win all three points.
Pickford said: “We’d have liked more opportunities to score goals, but we kept a clean sheet and we’re going home with a point. We wanted three, but we haven’t lost the game.
“Our defensive shape, I thought was brilliant from front to back, and that’s a proper Everton side when we’re digging deep and helping each other out.”
Everton need to aim higher than Jordan Pickford suggests
If a 0-0 draw in one of the lowest-quality Premier League games in recent history is truly a reflection of a “proper” Toffees side, fans should be very worried indeed.
West Ham were there for the taking, particularly in a first half which Dyche’s side dominated, with Abdoulaye Doucoure only being denied by a last-ditch block from Irons winger Crysencio Summerville.
A lack of cutting edge in the final third is nothing new for the Blues this season, and while they did keep a clean sheet, Pickford would’ve been supremely disappointed to have conceded at the London Stadium.
The England goalkeeper has had his moments for both club and country so far in a transitional campaign for the Toffees, but he can surely acknowledge that three points were certainly within reach on Saturday.
That transition, with new ownership and stadium both on the horizon, will transform the ambition on and off the pitch, and Pickford will need to get used to demanding more than a 0-0 stalemate.
View: Everton fans should be worried by what Jordan Pickford said after West Ham draw
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