Pickford must stamp out growing signs of complacency before it costs him

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Jordan Pickford is doing an awful lot right at the moment.

He has seen off stiff competition to be England’s undisputed number one goalkeeper, capping a week when he was part of the team which clinched a historic 3-2 win in Spain with a penalty save in Everton’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

The young stopper is riding high right now. But without meaning to be a nitpicker, there are increasing signs of a lax attitude. They are not costing Pickford’s club or international side right now, but they could.

First, Pickford laid into Merseyside rival goalkeeper Alisson after his mistake against Leicester this season. The botched Cruyff turn in Seville further displayed the folly of that; thankfully it didn’t cost England their win, but it could very well have.

Then, Pickford revealed that he forgot to do his research ahead of saving Luka Milivojević’s penalty yesterday. Again, he got away with it and it is something he can laugh about now.

But these lax moments will end up costing Pickford if he doesn’t stamp them out now. While things are going well regardless, they can be laughed off as the quirks of a young, engaging footballer enjoying the ride.

But if things begin to turn, they will not be viewed in the same light by managers, team-mates and fans.

Now is the perfect time to iron them out, while he is riding high and the pressure is off to a relative degree.