Jordan Pickford makes bizarre claim in wake of England's humiliation at Wembley

The Everton goalkeeper was 1 of galore to person a nighttime to hide against the Greeks but inactive insists Lee Carsley's broadside controlled the game

Jordan Pickford claimed the shot England played successful the embarrassing decision to Greece astatine Wembley was ‘good’ and that Lee Carsley’s arguable strategy worked good for ample parts of the game.

And the Everton goalkeeper, whose ain show was distinctly erratic, made 1 of the understatements of the play erstwhile helium said: “I deliberation we were a small spot open.”

As 1 of the elder players and a subordinate of the enactment group, Pickford, 30, faced the euphony aft the startling nonaccomplishment but refused to admit it had been 1 of England’s worst displays for immoderate sizeable time. Pickford said: “Sometimes successful shot it becomes a spot weird due to the fact that a mates of scruffy passes really gets you retired and gets america countered rather rapidly - and Greece did that a fewer times.

“They played the agelong shot and won astir apt 2nd balls much than we won and that mightiness person been the difference. But the shot we played was bully . We weren't acold off. It was lone 2 oregon 3 transitions successful which we got caught. Apart from that we controlled it.

“We knew they were going to person transitions and it's astir america getting backmost into shape. And we did it for ample parts of the evening and a mates of times we got caught."

A mates of times? England were repeatedly carved unfastened by the Greeks arsenic they failed to get to grips with Carsley’s tactics. The interim England manager admitted that they had lone worked connected his gameplay for 20 minutes connected the grooming crushed and Pickford confirmed the build-up had been acold from ideal, saying: “We've not had agelong to get ourselves ready. People played Sunday truthful they had to retrieve decently due to the fact that everyone's played a batch of games implicit the past month.”

But Pickford knows England request to nutrient a bounce-back showing successful Helsinki this weekend. He went on: “It's ne'er bully for a subordinate oregon unit to get bushed astatine Wembley. The manager picked the squad and we've conscionable got to effort and execute the crippled plan.

"We didn't get it afloat close and we got beat. Now we've conscionable got to spell and triumph distant connected Sunday against Finland and past the adjacent campy successful Greece distant and Ireland astatine home.”

And Pickford besides hinted that helium agreed with the evident reflection that the squad volition request a spot much equilibrium going into the past 3 games of its Nations League campaign. He said: “We privation to springiness the fans enjoyment but besides we privation to beryllium coagulated astatine the back, support cleanable sheets and springiness that level to spell and fto the attacking benignant travel retired connected top.”

And the line-up for the crippled successful Finland is apt to beryllium much accepted arsenic Harry Kane returns to the team. “Harry’s not the grounds extremity scorer for England and person 100 caps for nothing,” said Pickford. “He leads by illustration and I deliberation Harry volition beryllium acceptable to spell Sunday.”

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