Assessing England’s goalkeeping options without Jordan Pickford
Follow France vs England live at World Cup 2022.
Matt Pyzdrowski is a coach and former goalkeeper who played in the United States and Sweden. He serves as a goalkeeping analyst for The Athletic.
Here, he analyses Gareth Southgate’s goalkeeping options to be Jordan Pickford’s deputy for the World Cup.
Jordan Pickford is established as England’s No 1, but the Everton goalkeeper will miss the September internationals after damaging his thigh muscle in the Merseyside derby draw with Liverpool.
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The goalkeeper slot should have been one of the easier parts of the squad to pick for Qatar, but Pickford’s injury throws a spanner in Gareth Southgate’s plans.
Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope and Dean Henderson, who have amassed just 12 caps between them compared to the Everton keeper’s 45, have got the nod for the Nations League fixtures.
Southgate is expected to rotate them for the away game against Italy at the San Siro on 23 September and at home to Germany three days later to help decide who is his second and third choice for the World Cup.
So how do they stack up compared to Pickford?
No English goalkeeper’s stock has risen faster in the past 12 months than Arsenal’s Ramsdale. Initially, there were questions from some over why Mikel Arteta paid £30million ($34.3m) to sign him in the summer of 2021 from Sheffield United, considering they had a proven goalkeeper in Bernd Leno.
But once Arteta gave Ramsdale his shot after their worst start in 67 years, it didn’t take long to see why he was so confident investing all that money.
Arsenal had looked like a team that was lost and lacking confidence, leading to uninspired performances that included a 5-0 hammering to Manchester City. Inserting Ramsdale suddenly brought a feeling of trust, reliability and swagger that had been missing, his energy becoming infectious.
No longer were his team-mates (and defenders in particular) unsure of themselves. They were clearing, passing and shooting with much more energy and purpose. Ramsdale’s presence played his part, and that reliability was a huge reason Arsenal were able to go on a 10-match unbeaten run and climb to fifth in the table before losing 4-0 to Liverpool at the end of November.
He had been viewed as a one-dimensional shot-stopper who needed to work on other areas of his game before his move to Arsenal.
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He was young, raw and unproven at the top, and his ability with the ball at his feet was questioned. It didn’t take long before Ramsdale silenced those doubters, proving that he not only had that technique but left us wondering if his footwork and distribution were some of his greatest assets. Suddenly, people were wondering if he had the most expansive passing repertoire in the England setup. His performance against Leicester City in October showed what makes Ramsdale so special.
✋ All the stops
🎯 All the distributionsWatch @AaronRamsdale98's MOTM performance again here 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 31, 2021
In Southgate’s system, it is not enough for the goalkeeper to be good with their hands. He must also be able to contribute to his team’s build-up play with a specific technical and tactical passing ability. In particular, Southgate’s goalkeeper needs to be comfortable with the ball, able to distribute to his team-mates in different areas and distances across the pitch, and must be able to serve as his team-mates’ outlet pass when they are under pressure.
Last season, Ramsdale played and completed more short passes than Pickford (181 vs 63), completed more passes under pressure (88 vs 84) and launched the ball more than 30 yards only 21.4 per cent of the time compared to Pickford’s 78 per cent.
This is where he holds a distinct advantage over Pickford. However, Arsenal and Everton’s systems are uniquely different. Arteta demands that his goalkeepers primarily play the ball short and medium distances, but Frank Lampard expects his goalkeeper to play the ball longer, hitting dangerous crossfield balls consistently to switch the play and catch opponents off guard.
This is where Pickford has shown his ability to execute long diagonal cross-field passes. Those arrowed passes have become useful weapons for Everton to keep their patterns of play unpredictable — in 2021-22, he completed 56 cross-field balls of more than 40 yards compared to Ramsdale’s 35.
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Pickford has been excellent when going long, completing 60 passes into the opposition’s final third from open play, a significant number more than any other English goalkeeper last season (Pope was the second most with 45, Ramsdale just 28).
As the season progressed, it became apparent Ramsdale’s decision-making when playing out from the back, in particular when to play the ball short versus long(er), was one area he needed to improve on.
As good as he is with the ball at his feet, Ramsdale has a tendency to hold onto the ball a little too long while under pressure, which has resulted in mistakes.
His performances against Crystal Palace last month and against Manchester United at the end of April last season come to mind — the latter of which required a goal-saving intervention from Gabriel after he passed the ball straight to Bruno Fernandes.
It would be wrong to demand Ramsdale to just hoof it long while under pressure, as there needs to be a purpose with every ball that is played out of the back in Arsenal’s system, but he does need to have a better understanding of when it is best to continue to wait for the passing lanes to open up versus electing to break the lines by passing to a team-mate further up the field.
Though Ramsdale remains the best English goalkeeper not named Pickford with the ball at his feet, one area that has come into question over the past couple of months is in regards to the consistency of his shot-stopping ability. To measure this, we can use the “goals prevented” metric, which calculates how many goals a keeper concedes compared to how many the expected goals (xG) model would anticipate them letting in.
Before last Christmas, Ramsdale ranked third in the Premier League for goals prevented, keeping out two more goals than an average top-flight goalkeeper would be expected to save. But as Arsenal’s play became more erratic and inconsistent after the New Year, so did Ramsdale’s, conceding several goals that he normally would be expected to save.
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Ramsdale finished the season tied 20th of 23 goalkeepers in the Premier League, conceding -4.6 more goals than an average goalkeeper would have been expected to — only Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez (-5.2) and Leeds United’s Illan Meslier (-7.8) gave up more.
Statistics aren’t the be all and end all with goalkeepers, even regarding the xG metric, as so much that happens in a game is still unquantifiable for goalkeepers (including shot speed, deflections, and how much a goalkeeper has to move across his goal before a strike) that the metric doesn’t take into account just yet. However, it’s hard to argue that he didn’t struggle with his consistency in the second half of last season, because even the eye test proves that he very clearly should have.
For a 24-year-old in a position where inexperience and age show more than anywhere else, it should not be surprising that naivety and inconsistent play crept in when the going got tough last season.
Overall, Ramsdale has been fantastic for Arsenal and is likely to be rewarded with a start (or two) in England’s upcoming fixtures. Like Pickford, the entirety of his skill set and the way he can distribute the ball well fits almost perfectly into Southgate’s style of play, giving him a distinct advantage over both Pope and Henderson.
Even though Burnley would end up getting relegated from the Premier League, it was due to no fault of the outstanding Pope, who almost single-handedly kept them up. Without his performances in the second half of last season, Burnley would have been down long before their drop on the final day.
Pope prevented the third most goals last season (+4.4) — only Manchester United’s David De Gea (+6.7) and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jose Sa (+9.2) prevented more. When you look at where his numbers were back in December of last year — he was 21st of 22 goalkeepers in the league, conceding -6.6 more goals than an average goalkeeper would have been expected — the second half of last season becomes all the more impressive.
⛔ Brilliant, @Popey1992! #TogetherWeCanUTC
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) May 20, 2022
Pope had several suitors in the summer, but Newcastle United paid Burnley £11million for his services and immediately made him the No 1 in place of Martin Dubravka.
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The decision has looked to be a smart one as the England international has picked up right where he left off. Though the sample size is small (six games), Pope has prevented the second most goals in 2022-23 (+2.8) — only Pickford has prevented more (+3.4).
Pope is tall and an excellent goalkeeper in the traditional sense — or as we in the goalkeeper community like to say, “in the fundamentals of the position”.
His body shape and set position are superb and serve as the foundation for the rest of his skill set. His positional awareness and technical efficiency — mainly in regards to his hand placement and footwork — means he does not need to make any wild movements or technical adjustments as he traverses his goalmouth in preparation for each shot on target. By the time the ball is struck, he is in the optimal position and has his body and hands in the correct shape to make a save.
This preparation and attention to detail are primarily what help him keep his movements and adjustments small while taking the quickest and most direct path to making the save. It’s a big reason he is able to make saves look so routine.
Pope is tremendous at dealing with high balls in his area from open-play crosses or set pieces — an area in which he holds an advantage over the other goalkeepers in the England setup.
Specifically, it is his long reach and timing that help him extend his range to the furthest edges of his box, meeting the ball at its highest point and catching significantly more balls than he punches. His 36 high-cross claims, the second most in the Premier League last season (only Brighton & Hove Albion’s Robert Sanchez claimed more with 37), allows his team to retain possession.
His 63 defensive actions outside the box were joint-most in the Premier League last season along with Liverpool’s Alisson — a significant number more than Ramsdale (35) and Pickford (26) — helping him dominate the area between him and his back line. Pope’s ability to sense danger from balls that are played in behind his central defenders could be essential given England’s style of play and Southgate’s desire to press the opposition high.
Pope has been used to playing direct and simple, so when he’s come into the England setup he has needed to adjust his game to fit Southgate’s system, which is incredibly difficult — even more so when you are asking someone to add a skill to their game that they are not used to doing consistently.
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Pope is aware of what has been said about him and his ability with the ball at his feet and, since his arrival at Newcastle, he has been motivated to prove those doubters wrong. He’s been challenged by Eddie Howe to add this to his repertoire and Pope appears to be adapting how he passes.
According to FBref, Pope’s average length of pass last season was 52.8 yards, second only to Pickford. This season, it is 44.1 yards. The percentage of passes he “launches” — those of more than 40 yards, not including goal kicks — has reduced from 73.4 per cent to 56 per cent.
Newcastle’s centre-backs and midfielders regularly come short to Pope, with Howe keen to build from the back. However, there have been growing pains and he does not always convince with the ball at his feet. When he is rushed, he has a tendency to misplace kicks.
Though there are purists of the position who would prefer to have the goalkeeper who is the best at keeping the ball out of the net, the reality is, in Southgate’s eyes, football is a total sum game and Pickford’s attributes (cross management, organisation of the defence, shot-stopping and building out of the back) in total add up to just a bit more than Pope.
To put the pressure on those ahead of him, Pope will have to show Southgate that he’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and able to contribute to the game plan. If he does, he won’t just be one of Southgate’s three goalkeepers at this winter’s major tournament, but a legitimate challenger to the No 1 spot.
It’s not too long ago that we were talking about Henderson being England and Manchester United’s No 1, but after a “lost year” at Old Trafford, it is now Henderson who finds himself on the outside looking in and having to prove himself to Southgate that he deserves another opportunity.
Henderson broke into United’s first team in 2020-21, having made 26 appearances for the club and received a call-up to England’s European Championship squad in June, but it didn’t play out as planned.
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Henderson was first forced to withdraw from the England squad with a hip injury. Then he tested positive for COVID-19 weeks before the start of the 2021-22 season, which caused prolonged fatigue.
While Henderson was away from the squad, David de Gea made the starting goalkeeper spot his own and regained the form that at one point had him regarded as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers, while Pickford only further cemented his place as Southgate’s No 1 and Ramsdale and Pope leapfrogged him in the pecking order.
Aware that he needed to make a drastic move in order to work his way back into the England setup, Henderson moved to Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest this summer. It’s looked to be a smart move for both club and player.
The 25-year-old has been impressive, saving a penalty from Declan Rice and keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win against West Ham United as Forest won the first Premier League game played at the City Ground in 23 years.
Though Forest have had a comedown in recent weeks after a solid start, it wouldn’t be fair to put the blame on Henderson. He has been a beacon of light and someone his team-mates can rely on. If they are to stay up this season, they will need Henderson to be in top form throughout.
At his best, Henderson’s ability to contort his body in and out of the most unorthodox positions to make saves are his greatest strengths. His stunning performances against West Ham, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur this season are the best example of this. That agility, in combination with his diving technique and power step, has led to some extraordinary saves, even in moments when his positioning isn’t always perfect. The power step is what has allowed him to thrive in one-v-one situations, whether in open play or penalties.
But Henderson isn’t blameless. His decision-making and composure have been pinpointed as clear areas for improvement. Although he is still searching for the consistency required of the world’s elite goalkeepers, when you are an England starter, you are expected to perform. Some goalkeepers are naturally able to teeter on the edge of recklessness and still be in control of their emotions — Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel comes to mind — but for many, it’s not so easy.
Some keepers overhype themselves as their play becomes destructive. The best goalkeepers are able to recognise, accept and let those feelings pass and take brief seconds afterwards to appreciate what they just did but move on quickly. This will be Henderson’s greatest challenge this year in a team scrapping for survival.
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Like Pope, the other area Henderson will have to develop is his footwork and distribution. Henderson isn’t poor with his feet, but he doesn’t have the repertoire or arsenal that Pickford or Ramsdale have in that area.
Without first-team football last season, we have to look at Henderson’s season from 2020-21 for raw data. He played 13 matches in the Premier League, but by multiplying his stats by three we can conservatively predict how his numbers would have compared to the other goalkeepers in the England player pool over an entire season.
While Henderson’s 174 completed short and medium passes would average out to roughly similar numbers to Ramsdale’s last season (522 vs 537), there is a noticeable difference in their ability to play longer cross-field passes successfully. Henderson’s five passes in 2020-21 if stretched out over an entire season would have only been 15, Ramsdale’s total was 35, Pickford’s 56.
Even when you look back at his full season with Sheffield United, Henderson played only 26 such balls. It will be interesting to see how and if he is able to develop this skill-set further this season with Forest, who plays a similar system to England and demands a similar skill-set from the goalkeeper with the ball at their feet.
The ability to play long balls accurately is an underrated trait we often don’t talk about that much with goalkeepers. It is far more common to hear about passing ability in tight areas, but it is the accurate long balls (sometimes even just the threat of them being played) that puts pressure on the opposition, sparks fear and hesitation in the defenders, and opens up spaces short for the goalkeeper to pass into. It’s an important part of Southgate’s system.
Henderson has primarily been the pivot at the base of the defence that keeps the ball on the ground and moves the ball from side to side for his team with short passes, while Ramsdale and Pickford are able to take those passes one or two steps further. It’s not to downplay Henderson’s role and skill set, but there’s a difference between the ability to play short passes to your centre-backs and the ability to spray passes at varying distances all over the field of play to jumpstart attacks.
There are occasions when Henderson does not help himself, forcing his kicks into vulnerable areas instead of playing the safe outlet pass to a team-mate. Against Manchester City this season, it was an errant pass with his left foot that went directly to Bernardo Silva, setting up City’s second goal in a 6-0 win.
Though you cannot judge Henderson by one play, having watched him over the past couple of seasons, it is having the ball at his feet — particularly in tight areas and when under pressure — remains an area he will have to improve on.
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Though Henderson deservedly earned a place for these Nations League games, it’s hard to imagine him having enough time to change Southgate’s mind before the World Cup that he deserves to be in the squad.
As good a shot-stopper he is (particularly in one-v-one and penalty-kick situations), he’s not quite up to the level of Pope as a box defender and Ramsdale as a distributor.
He will most likely be missing out on his second major tournament in 18 months, which is an unfortunate and sobering reality for Henderson, who just a few years ago looked like he was on the cusp of becoming a legitimate challenger to Pickford.
(Main image: Ramsdale, Pope and Henderson are in the squad for the upcoming Nations League matches. Photos: Getty Images)
