“Jordan Pickford is still England's number one,” Thomas Tuchel said, and he did not sound like a coach ready to close the goalkeeper debate. Pickford has 93 caps, while James Trafford started the first two fixtures of the autumn camp. England now have two more Nations League matches this week, Croatia at Wembley on Thursday and Spain away on Sunday.
Tuchel's goalkeeper rotation
Tuchel was clear that the competition is not finished. He said Trafford gets “regular starts now” and added that England may share the matches again. His point was practical rather than decorative, because he wants to see another goalkeeper in high-pressure games before Pickford is ever unavailable.
The numbers back up why Trafford is still in the mix. Pickford's Nations League rating is 7.07, ahead of his 6.85 Premier League season rating, while Trafford has a 6.99 league rating and 10 league appearances this season. Tuchel also said Pickford has stayed calm and supportive, and that matters in a squad where the incumbent still wants competition without losing his place.
The remaining Nations League games
Tuchel did not commit to splitting the Croatia and Spain matches evenly, and he said he was not sure what they would do. That leaves the picture open, with Pickford still first choice and Trafford still pressing for more minutes in the same window.
Croatia at Wembley on Thursday comes first, then Spain away on Sunday. Those are the two matches Tuchel is using to keep England's goalkeeping competition live.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
