Pickford returns for Nations League crunch in Rijeka

Jordan Pickford is back in the England goal for Saturday’s Nations League Group A3 clash with Croatia at Stadion HNK Rijeka, with his place under renewed scrutiny after Thomas Tuchel split the duties in the opening two games of the campaign.

The 32-year-old will win his 92nd cap against a Croatia side managed by Slaven Bilic, who returns for a second spell in charge. England are second behind Spain after losing to the world champions last weekend, and Saturday’s game will go a long way towards deciding whether England reach next year’s Nations League finals.

Trafford test and Tuchel’s split

James Trafford played the first two of England’s games in Nations League Group A3 and did well against Spain and Czechia. Tuchel has divided the games, saying he wanted to test Trafford against elite opposition and stressing Pickford has done nothing wrong.

Pickford is due to continue when England close this camp by hosting Czechia on Tuesday. Tuchel said Pickford remains his No 1, but the competition is real.

Why the pressure is on Pickford

The article recalls the fragile nature of goalkeeping. For England’s first meeting with Luka Modric you have to go back 20 years to Zagreb in 2006, when Paul Robinson’s horror mistake on a Gary Neville backpass defined his decline after Steve McClaren’s side lost 2-0. Robinson made 10 more appearances but after another crucial error against Russia in October 2007 he never won another cap.

Pickford, who became No 1 just before the 2018 World Cup, has helped England reach two major finals and shone in shootout wins over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup and Switzerland at Euro 2024. He has broken Peter Shilton’s record for England appearances at the World Cup and made what was described as the save of the 2025-26 Premier League season, pushing a vicious Sandro Tonali volley over during Everton’s win against Newcastle last February.

Yet Pickford wobbled last summer. He was skittish in possession, 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 at his near post and let Andreas Schjelderup’s cross sail in against Norway. His performance in the semi-final defeat by Argentina was also a disappointment, with Enzo Fernández scoring after repeated efforts from distance and Jude Bellingham appearing to say the midfielder’s shot was “in the middle of the goal”.

Pickford said of the Fernández goal: “I tried to scan for the ball. 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.”

The goalkeeper also stood down for Dean Henderson when England beat France in the bronze medal match, and had a three-hour session with his mind-work coach on Thursday night. Pickford respects the competition from Trafford but noted he also sat out two consecutive games when Gareth Southgate gave Aaron Ramsdale a chance in the Nations League in 2022.

Build-up and selection questions

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 World Cup. “This is a big strength of Jordan because he has a wide range,” Tuchel said, but there were moments when England’s manager looked exasperated with the goalkeeper going long.

Trafford 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.

With Declan Rice missing, Tuchel faces midfield decisions. “Is Declan still a fix point in my team?” Tuchel wondered. “Yes, but some other players are coming and impressing.” Options include Myles Lewis-Skelly continuing alongside Elliot Anderson, or Alex Scott getting a chance. There is also the question of whether Tuchel sticks with Trent Alexander-Arnold and lets the right-back build an understanding with Bukayo Saka.

The game at Stadion HNK Rijeka, which holds 8,279 spectators, is supposed to take place without fans as 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. Croatia will be led by Luka Modric, who scored in last week’s win over Czechia and came off the bench during Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat in Spain.

Nowhere is the competition more apparent than in goal. Pickford has to respond.