{"id":1497530,"date":"2026-09-28T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1497530"},"modified":"2026-09-28T15:03:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:03:22","slug":"james-trafford-jordan-pickford-england-number-one","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/james-trafford-jordan-pickford-england-number-one\/","title":{"rendered":"James Trafford vs Jordan Pickford: England\u2019s goalkeeper battle has begun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Thomas Tuchel sprung a selection surprise for England\u2019s game against Spain on Saturday.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/post-match-analysis-england-vs-spain-26-09-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Three Lions welcomed the 2026 World Cup winners<\/a> to Wembley to get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway. And Tuchel opted to start James Trafford between the sticks, with Jordan Pickford dropped to the bench. The German has already confirmed the Leeds United man will keep his spot for the Czech Republic game on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-pickford-drop-a-shock\" data-level=\"3\">Pickford drop a shock<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-lack-of-game-time-held-trafford-back\" data-level=\"3\">Lack of game time held Trafford back<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-trafford-s-fine-start-to-the-season\" data-level=\"3\">Trafford&#8217;s fine start to the season<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJordan [Pickford] did absolutely nothing wrong but we want to use this competition to see how far actually James is in these two weeks so he gets these two matches,\u201d Tuchel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am convinced that it&#8217;s better to get two matches and not just one match so he can learn from the organisation, he can learn from what happened and straight away grow into it and be a part of the defensive and offensive build up unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo, he gets the next match as well and then Jordan gets the two matches against Czech Republic and Croatia in Wembley.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-pickford-drop-a-shock\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pickford drop a shock<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trafford\u2019s evening, though, got off to a disappointing start. Spain scored early on through Lamine Yamal following a Marc Guehi gaffe. Goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane saw England go in at the break ahead. However, another mistake, this time through Nico O\u2019Reilly, allowed Alex Baena to draw La Roja level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mikel Oyarzabal struck late on as Spain got their Nations League campaign off to a winning start. Trafford did make a smart stop to deny Ferran Torres in the first half. Conversely, Tuchel would have been forgiven for dropping Trafford for Pickford in midweek after the former shipped three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even so, the decision to drop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/jordan-pickford\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pickford<\/a> for Trafford was a shock in itself. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/everton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Everton<\/a> man has been England\u2019s first choice for the best part of 10 years. He\u2019s been number one for the last five major international tournaments. During Gareth Southgate\u2019s tenure he was one of the first names on the teamsheet.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>bet365 &#8211; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was in part due to a lack of top-class competition. Goalkeepers came and went. There were some decent shotstoppers that could have rivalled Pickford. However, they didn\u2019t offer the same composure in possession as the Toffees man. This is what stood out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 32-year-old is able to instigate attacks from the back with ease. In the modern game, a goalkeeper capable of picking out a teammate from range has proven vital. For an England side that dominates the ball, this distribution has been key. A potential rival has been tough to come by. Until now, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-lack-of-game-time-held-trafford-back\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lack of game time held Trafford back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trafford has always had the ability to compete with Pickford on the international stage. The issue largely stemmed down to a lack of regular action at club level, particularly in the top flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 23-year-old has limited top-tier experience. It\u2019s only since his switch to Leeds over the summer that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/james-trafford\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trafford<\/a> has been handed the opportunity to prove himself at Premier League level. That\u2019s not to say he hasn\u2019t been ready to ply his trade in England\u2019s top tier. Rather, the chances were few and far between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His return to Manchester City last summer should have proven the making of the youngster. And yet, City also signed Gianluigi Donnarumma on deadline day. The Italian was immediately instilled as first choice under then-boss Pep Guardiola. As such, Trafford made just four league starts for the Cityzens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Granted, Trafford was handed domestic cup duties, and the odd European match. He started both the FA Cup and EFL Cup finals, matches won by City against Chelsea and Arsenal, respectively. However, it would have been impossible for Tuchel to justify his decision to have Trafford start ahead of Pickford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-trafford-s-fine-start-to-the-season\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trafford&#8217;s fine start to the season<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, Tuchel has the personnel to push Pickford on. Hand the Everton man top-quality competition from a goalkeeper who is able to match both his shotstopping quality and his ability with the ball at his feet. Trafford, after all, has made a decent start to the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/leeds-united\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leeds<\/a> sit fifth in the Premier League after five games. No team has conceded fewer goals than Daniel Farke\u2019s side (3), incidentally a haul matched by Everton. They are one of five sides yet to lose a league match. Trafford, meanwhile, boasts the best save success rate (90.9%) in the division. Pickford (83.3%) is second.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Best save success rate in the Premier League this season\" class=\"wp-image-1497532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28111126\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-11.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And on the international stage, there have been mistakes creeping into Pickford\u2019s games. Take the World Cup for example, the former Sunderland star could have done better for goals conceded in meetings with Croatia, DR Congo and Argentina. While Tuchel admitted goalkeeping isn\u2019t his area of expertise &#8211; \u201cI\u2019m not a specialist for goalkeeping,\u201d he said after the Spain defeat &#8211; even he knows Pickford could have done better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In truth, a rivalry, especially between the sticks, is key. Healthy competition pushes goalkeepers on, and Trafford will certainly give Pickford a run for his money. With Euro 2028 the next major tournament for England, the number one spot is &#8211; for the first time in a long time &#8211; up for grabs.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\"><strong>Premier League predictions &amp; tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/premier-league-title-odds\/\"><strong>Premier League outright odds <\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Tuchel sprung a selection surprise for England\u2019s game against Spain on Saturday. The Three Lions welcomed the 2026 World Cup winners to Wembley to get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway. And Tuchel opted to start James Trafford between the sticks, with Jordan Pickford dropped to the bench. The German has already confirmed the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1478053,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"England","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Thomas Tuchel has opened the door for James Trafford to challenge Jordan Pickford as England\u2019s No.1 after a surprise start against Spain.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1497530","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>James Trafford vs Jordan Pickford: England\u2019s goalkeeper battle has begun | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thomas Tuchel has opened the door for James Trafford to 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