The stars have really adapted to Nick Pope over the last six months.
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After Burnley’s disastrous start to the season, where many tipped them to finally give in to the dreaded drop, the Clarets have turned their bad form upside down and lost just once in the last eight games.
The Pope has been in great shape since Pool / Getty Images
The pope has shone in their return and came out on top in a battle between Burnley and Everton, which saw his England rival Jordan Pickford replaced by injury. By the way, Toffee’s goalkeeper has undergone a torturous season and released a number of high-profile sounds, which turns out to be completely unreliable between the sticks.
In fact, his injury problems in February were probably a boon for coach Carlo Ancelotti, who was able to rotate his stoppers and put his back line’s collective mind and panic attacks easily.
The latest knock excludes Pickford from the latest round of Three Lions internationals, resulting in the Pope being handed the number one jersey for clashes with San Marino, Albania and possibly the final Test against Poland.
Has he taken the opportunity in question, you ask? Yes he has. In Pape’s six matches between the posts for Gareth Southgate’s side, he has not conceded a goal, which according to Opta is the first time in England’s history that a goalkeeper achieves this achievement.
6 – Nick Pope has kept clean in all his six appearances for England; the first time a goalkeeper did not concede any of his first six games for The Three Lions. Quiet. pic.twitter.com/Xh16FzerFo
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 28, 2021
In short, he is the greatest goalkeeper the country has ever seen. Okay, that’s potentially a touch too far. But what is not too far to suggest is that Pope must start the Three Lions opening match in the Euro 2020 tournament on 13 June.
So, why, why, oh why, does Rob Dorsett (mentioned by TurfCast) report that the Pope must leave Burnley this summer to become the long-term holder of England’s top jersey?
If so, what does Southgate really think? If this ultimatum is set against the England stopper because he plays for a “worse” club compared to Pickford, so that we do not forget that the Clarets finished above Everton in the league table last season.
In fact, Burnley Toffee’s points improved overall in 2017/18 and finished an extremely respectable seventh – the coveted position “best of the rest”.
Class performance from the boys ?? Wembley Debut ✅ @england pic.twitter.com/oKS4jRSiTu
– Nick Pope (@ Popey1992) October 8, 2020
So it’s time to lose snootiness when it comes to Burnley and the perception of the club, given that they have surpassed Everton in two of the last three seasons, all with a much smaller budget.
Next up on the agenda will no doubt be the style of play. “The Pope does not know how to send the ball because he is playing for a boring boring team like Burnley.” Look, just because he does not play carpet football at club level does not mean he can not.
The Pope showed some great calm in possession against Albania on Sunday afternoon, took time with the ball at his feet and picked out the right pass field more often than not. He produced a cute little spoon from the edge of his box to Kane, who was standing on the halfway line, and never looked lit by a forward-looking forward.
In fact, statistics show that the pope has all the answers when he is called to. According to state guru WhoScored, the shot stopper usually manages less than 50% pass when he tends the sticks for Burnley, due to the number of ambitious long balls he was asked to push against Chris Wood’s forehead.
Although the slender New Zealand striker is a sniper’s dream, you can not always hit your target when he is surrounded by mountainous defenders. On the other hand, Pope has noted a solid 75% finish rate for England, where he has to cut more complicated passes wide to the slopes, play it short and simple, or sometimes go a long way to the ever-willing scooter Kane.
Finding your goal three quarters of the time when you show a variety of skills is not bad. Especially for someone who “does NOT know how it should be.”
If we talk about shot-saving ability, the Pope is the excellent winner, without a doubt, no debate. He is the body of peace and assurance, while Everton fans will tell you that Pickford gives them David James every weekend.
David James is defined as the feeling of fear and anxiety you experience every time a ball enters your own penalty area, for fear that the goalkeeper will fully function and do something usually unthinkable.
A calming influence on the backline | Matthew Ashton – AMA / Getty Images
That is, eventually a goalkeeper seems more likely to have a brain shot and release a clanger than to actually do his job calmly and efficiently. So if we all feel that anxiety from our home comforts, imagine how the defenders on the field feel ?!
Unfortunately, it will take some time for Pickford to rebuild its reputation and return to being an authoritative and reliable last line of defense, and until then England can not risk throwing that grenade into their penalty area in the blind hope that it won “not. explode over the summer.
There is only one correct answer to the question “Who will Southgate start for the euro?” and it’s the pope. And what about the club he plays for? It should not even be questioned at all.
