“I think he deserved to get the two matches, that's why we gave him two matches.” Thomas Tuchel has split England’s four Nations League games this international break between James Trafford and Jordan Pickford, with Trafford getting the first two and Pickford set for the last two. Trafford then played the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Spain, his third appearance for England.
Tuchel's reason for the split
Tuchel said he is using the competition to see how far Trafford is. He was also careful not to turn it into an attack on Pickford, saying the Everton goalkeeper “did absolutely nothing wrong” and that the plan was to test Trafford rather than punish anyone.
The England head coach has made the race feel open without pretending Pickford has lost his grip on it. That is the real point here: Trafford is being given a serious look, but not a coronation.
Trafford's club form gives him a case
Tuchel linked the call to Trafford's club minutes as well. “He started the Premier League season well and gets minutes as number one at Leeds,” he said, and the numbers back the selection. Trafford has made 5 Premier League appearances for Leeds this season and is averaging a 7.16 rating.
Trafford has been honest about the value of that run too. “The one thing I’m doing is playing and playing regularly and that’s one thing you have to do to get picked for your country,” he said. He also called playing for England and starting for England “every goalkeeper’s dream”.
Pickford still brings the larger body of work. He has 91 England appearances and 46 clean sheets, and since the start of the 2024-25 season no one has prevented more expected goals than he has. But Tuchel's decision means the shirt is not being treated as settled, and Trafford now has the next two matches to keep the challenge alive.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
