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Cameron Manning
Player Valuation: £35m
Pickford s commanding when the ball is launched into the box? Could have fooled me, he is even worse when the ball is coming across the six yard box from corners, centres and free kicks,his main fault is he doesn’t command his goal area.
MisterJ
Player Valuation: £20m
Thought it took a deflection, would have wrong footed him so tough to dive there
vinvinvin
Player Valuation: £1m
Thought he did well with the difficult in-swinging corners at the weekend given West Ham were really crowding him and tbh should have had more protection from the ref as at least a few of those looked like they should have been free kicks to me. His kicking was actually better than Pickford's as well - refreshing to see the ball actually stay in play.. Overall a very solid performance, fair play to him.
And yet, Begovic was totally anonymous when the ball was played into our box. By the way, I did not say Pickford was commanding. If you read the post again I said he was commanding when compared to Begovic, who is about 6 inches taller than him and I expressed my surprise at that.
Cameron Manning
Player Valuation: £35m
He is six inches taller than Pickford and yet you never noticed him punching the ball away at least three times when under a lot of pressure and coming out and catching the ball numerous times, and he was totally anonymous when West Hamhad thirteen corners!!
I did and I notice Pickford punching the ball away several times in a game. I'm more inclined to accept it from a keeper who is not a giant. Two of those punches, were a comfortable catch to a keeper of his stature, plus,there were several others when he stayed rooted to his goal line when the ball was obviously in the keepers area.
Don't get me wrong, there is a plus and a minus for a big keeper and a small keeper. The plusses for a smaller keeper should be ability and speed getting down, which Pickford has in spades. The plusses for a giant keeper like Begovic should be that he comes for and wins, most of the crosses within his 6 yard box. He doesn't, not even close, in fact, he is not even as good as Pickford on crosses. This would be ok if he was as agile as Pickford or as good as getting down quickly to shots/deflections coming in low,he isn't..
I'm not saying he not fit for purpose, he is, if that purpose is a stopgap for when the first choice is injured, but, as I said in my original post, watching Begovic play is a good reminder of how good Pickford is. He's by no means the best keeper in the league, but, he is far closer to bing a top 6keeper than we are to being a top 6 team.
Stepped up when called and did a fine job I thought.
Yes good back up keeper, as I said.
Cameron Manning
Player Valuation: £35m
Pickford has cocked up two punches this season and punched one backwards towards his own goal and he is much better than Pickford in guarding his area, imo, soI think we will have agree to disagree Roy.
If you seriously think Begovic is a better keeper than Pickford far be it from me to try to change your opinion.
Cameron Manning
Player Valuation: £35m
No I didn’t say that and I don’t think that, we are disagreeing on who commands the penalty area and six yard box better,you think Pickford and I think Begovic., and you‘ll never change my opinion on that!!
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
His experience is probably a great benefit to Pickford too. No matter how good he is you never stop learning.
Can't disagree with you mate on that point, no one will dislodge pickford as the no.1 and thus its a limiting factor for a back up keeper, also as I previously stated, I fully recognise Begovic does have good qualities ie experience and professionalism, I just can't un-see what I see when he plays, he moves like an old man, his reaction speed has gone, his aggression has gone, his positioning and reading of the game is still good though.
Would be a weak point of the team with no chance of improving if Pickford ever had a long term absence.
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