Pickford: 'You're going to have tests'

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford marked seven consecutive clean sheets in England’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Serbia at Wembley.

The stopper, who now has 81 senior caps to his name, along with 42 clean sheets overall, reflected on a professional performance.

“It’s a basis for us as a football team,” said Pickford. “To have that stability at the back and still be able to create chances going forward – it’s a great trait to have, and something that we’re proud of.”

England had already qualified for next year’s tournament. Nevertheless, the Three Lions’ last line of defence discussed the importance of staying switched on and building as a group.

“We have a lot of options,” continued Pickford. “Phil [Foden] comes on and nearly gets two goals as well, so it’s good to have that variety and options for us to move forward.

“I think you need to give credit to Morgan [Rogers]. He’s stepped up, and the manager has put his trust in him.

“Then you have Jude [Bellingham] on the bench, so it’s now about sticking together, keeping that togetherness which we have already got and moving forward.”

Thomas Tuchel’s team have already topped Group K but they have the chance to go one better when they travel to Albania on Sunday and preserve their winning streak.

“There’s one more to go yet,” added Pickford. “It’s about brushing ourselves down, ready for Albania on Sunday.

“You want to keep winning football matches, but we have that basis of keeping clean sheets as well, and we can’t get bored with that because it puts you in good stead.

“You’re going to have tests, be quiet, but it’s about keeping those concentration levels for 90 minutes, everyone involved, so there’s one more to go, but we keep building ahead of the March pre-World Cup testing.”

Click here to read article