Jordan Pickford may well be out injured with the World Cup on the horizon, but England shouldn’t panic as they have two top goalkeepers waiting in the ranks.
Pickford is on the sidelines, while Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale are obvious choices for the number one slot.
The Three Lions were defeated by Italy. Germany: Face Germanyin the final match of the World Cup.
But who should be Gareth Southgate’s undisputed number two and the most likely to challenge the Everton man based on statistics?
Well, talkSPORT.com decided to have a look…
Nick Pope – nine caps
Pope has been signed for the season.
The new Newcastle goalkeeper cost just £10million and has already produced several top saves, and at 6ft 3, he dominates his box.
Although there were some doubts over his ability at the back, Eddie Howe has helped him adapt to a new style. This should improve his England chances as no one can question his shot-stopping abilities.
So far this year, the 30-year-old has made 30 saves in the top-flight, including August’s Premier League Save of the Month against Brighton.
He also made several outstanding stops in the Toon’s 3-3 draw with Manchester City.
From the seven first games, he has kept three clean sheets and conceded seven goals.
The ex-Charlton Athletic man also has prevented 1.5 goals and has an 81.1% save percentage.
Pope has completed ten sweeper actions in the Premier League, which is important because of England’s preference for playing a high line.
His passing statistics are impressive, and you can bet Southgate is going to keep an eye out for them.
He has made 130 passes long and short. He has completed 52% of his passes, 30 of which were accurate long balls. On average, he completes 18.57 passes per match.
Pope is excelling in every area of the game. But, how does Pope compare with Ramsdale?
Aaron Ramsdale – three caps
Ramsdale’s rise at Arsenal over the last year has been fantastic.
The 24-year old started last season behind Bernd Leno, but is now out of the club.
Mikel Arteta has total faith in Ramsdale, and time is on his side to become England’s goalkeeper for most of his career.
But is he above Pope in the pecking list?
This year, the ex-sheffield United man has already made 13 saves in Premier League.
He has made no errors in direct play that led to a goal, but he has scored -1.4 against goals prevented and has a save rate of 65%.
Ramsdale is similar to Pope. He has kept three clean-sheets from seven and conceded seven.
However, he has only done three sweeper acts which could make him vulnerable.
However, his passing statistics are better than Pope’s.
Ramsdale attempted 175 long and short passes. He has completed 61% of them, including 38 long balls. Ramsdale averages 25 passes per match.
Pope v Ramsdale: Premier League stats 2022/23
Nick Pope
- Saves: 30
- Clean sheets: Three
- Goals conceded
- Goals saved: 1.5
- Take a percentage off: 81.1%
- Ten Sweeper Actions
- Pass completion: 52%
- Passes per game: 18.57
Aaron Ramsdale
- Saves: 13
- Three Clean Sheets
- Goals conceded
- Goals stopped: -1.4
- Take 65% off
- Three sweeper actions
- 61% completion of the exam
- Passes per game: 25
Pope and Ramsdale – What’s the verdict?
David Seaman told talkSPORT: “England’s number one is definitely Jordan Pickford, there’s no doubt about that. He’s been brilliant for England, you can’t question that.
“But he’s out for these two games. I think Nick, Aaron will get one game.
“For me, Aaron is the number two. Nick is doing well at Newcastle. From what I am seeing, he has a lot to do at Newcastle, but it’s different with Aaron.
“Arsenal are top of the league; he’s not getting as much to do, but that’s more like playing in an international game, where you don’t get a lot to do and all of a sudden, you are called upon to be at your best.”
Seaman believes it should be Ramsdale. However, it is too close to call. Pope excels at stopping shots and getting off his line while Ramsdale does a better job on the ball.
Southgate will have to make a hard decision in either case.
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