Jordan Pickford will return to the England goal for Saturday’s Nations League meeting with Croatia in Rijeka, ending an absence that has allowed James Trafford to stake his own claim to the No 1 shirt. Pickford sat out England’s first two Group A3 fixtures, with Trafford doing well against both Spain and Czechia.
Thomas Tuchel’s explanation for dividing the games is that he wanted to test Trafford against elite opposition, and the England manager has insisted that Pickford has done nothing wrong. Pickford is due to continue between the posts when England close the camp by hosting Czechia on Tuesday. He will win his 92nd cap against Croatia, having already broken Peter Shilton’s record for England appearances at the World Cup, and he has helped the side reach two major finals, shining in shootout wins over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup and Switzerland at Euro 2024.
The fixture carries its own history. England’s first meeting with Luka Modric came 20 years ago, when Croatia, managed by Slaven Bilic, dominated in Zagreb and eased to a 2-0 win that worsened Steve McClaren’s doomed attempt to qualify for Euro 2008. Bilic is now back for a second spell in charge of the national team, and that old game is remembered for a horror mistake from Paul Robinson, who kicked at thin air and let Gary Neville’s backpass bobble into the net. Robinson made 10 more appearances but, after another crucial error against Russia in October 2007, never won another cap.
Goalkeepers live a fragile existence, and the threat from Trafford is real for the first time since Pickford became No 1 just before the 2018 World Cup. Pickford wobbled last summer. He was skittish in possession, was beaten too easily for one goal when England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their opening game, allowed Brian Cipenga’s goal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in at his near post and let Andreas Schjelderup’s cross sail in against Norway.
The counter is that Pickford excelled against Mexico, even if his performance in the semi-final defeat by Argentina was a disappointment. Enzo Fernández kept trying his luck from distance and found the mark with his fourth effort to draw Argentina level, with the cameras catching Jude Bellingham appearing to say the midfielder’s shot was “in the middle of the goal”.
Pickford was measured about that goal ahead of meeting Croatia. “I tried to scan for the ball,” he said. “There were a lot of bodies in front. He’s got a free touch and shot. It just went away from me. The balls were moving fast over there. You know if you could have done better. There’s always going to be questions but I think if you’re not a goalkeeping expert then you won’t know what you’re talking about. If I stood three yards to the right and Fernández passes it in low left, you’re going to get questioned no matter what.”
He shuts out the noise. Pickford had a three-hour session with his mind-work coach on Thursday night, and while he respects the competition from Trafford, he has been here before: he sat out two consecutive games when Southgate gave Aaron Ramsdale a chance in the Nations League in 2022, and he also stood down for Dean Henderson when England beat France in the bronze medal match. Tuchel, for his part, said that Pickford remains his No 1.
An intriguing factor is how England build play. Fifa’s report on the World Cup shows goalkeepers becoming more important in helping sides beat the press. Pickford has a powerful kick and played a lot of long balls during the tournament. “This is a big strength of Jordan because he has a wide range,” Tuchel said, though there were moments when England’s manager looked exasperated with the goalkeeper going long. Trafford, by contrast, at one point baited the press and played an eye-of-the-needle pass to Lewis Hall during last Tuesday’s win over Czechia in Prague.
Saturday’s game at Stadion HNK Rijeka, which holds 8,279 spectators, is supposed to take place without fans, a punishment for racism during Croatia’s Nations League game against France last year, but is expected to unfold in front of 100 England fans and between 5,000 and 6,000 local children. Those present will see whether Modric can inspire Croatia after he scored in last week’s win over Czechia and came off the bench during Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat in Spain. England sit second behind Spain after losing to the world champions last weekend, and the meeting will go a long way towards deciding whether they reach next year’s Nations League finals. The sides played out a goalless draw behind closed doors in Rijeka in 2018.
Tuchel has other questions to answer. Does he stick with Trent Alexander-Arnold and let the right-back build an understanding with Bukayo Saka? With Declan Rice missing, does Myles Lewis-Skelly continue alongside Elliot Anderson in midfield, or does Alex Scott get a chance? Tuchel offered a mild warning about Rice’s status. “Is Declan still a fix point in my team?” he wondered. “Yes, but some other players are coming and impressing.”
Nowhere is that more apparent than in goal, and Pickford has to respond.