Speaking on the BBC Radio Five Live Football Daily Podcast, Micah Richards has been discussing Jordan Pickford, and he’s compared the Everton goalkeeper to Celtic’s Joe Hart.
Pickford put in a Man of the Match performance against Chelsea over the weekend, and he was up to his usual tricks of screaming at his defenders and celebrating every save as if it was a World Cup final.
Pickford certainly plays with his heart on his sleeve, and Richards believes that he shouldn’t lose that side of his game, comparing the goalkeeper to his former teammate Joe Hart.
What’s been said about Pickford?
Micah Richards spoke about Hart and Pickford.
“No, and I don’t think he should lose that, that’s what has gotten him to where he is now. Joe Hart is the same, they get pumped up before the game and I think that when you look in, you think that they’re a bit too much, but when you’re playing well nobody picks at those things. Look at Ramsdale at Arsenal, he celebrates with the fans, and because Arsenal are doing really well everyone accepts that,” Richards said.
In the zone
Richards says that Pickford shouldn’t change his game, and he’s absolutely right.
The goalkeeper clearly feels more confident on the pitch when he’s in the zone, and while that may lead to some believing that he’s overly emotional or even erratic, we don’t know what he’d be like without that side of his personality.
Yes, you want a calm and collected goalkeeper behind you, but if Pickford feels he needs to scream, shout and celebrate to be focused and at his best, he shouldn’t stop doing that.
Mentality and confidence are two massive things for a goalkeeper, and Pickford shouldn’t change his game in order to appease other people.
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