Jordan Pickford has opened up on the 'great chemistry' in his side's dressing room and revealed that Everton's English players are refusing to talk about their chances of making Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad.
The Everton goalkeeper was instrumental in helping his side preserve their top-flight status last season. A string of impressive displays helped Frank Lampard’s side avoid the drop.
Games towards the back end of the campaign will always live long in the memory, with Pickford pulling off two world class saves in Everton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Goodison Park.
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However, following a summer overhaul by Lampard and Kevin Thelwell, the Blues look a completely different side this season. The signings of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady have been huge in terms of Everton being a lot more solid.
Lampard’s men recently embarked on a six-match unbeaten run before narrow defeats to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United followed. But the Blues bounced back in the best way possible at the weekend.
Goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil secured Everton a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Saturday. The Blues travel to Fulham tomorrow eager to build on their win last time out, and Pickford has been quick to hail the environment Lampard and his coaching staff have created.
“The manager (Lampard) is really good. His staff around him are brilliant as well,” he told the PA news agency. “We have great chemistry around the place. We have an enjoyment about our work but we work hard and it is a great environment.
“We are a big club with a lot of history behind us but us as players want to create our own history.”
A number of Everton players could join the 45-cap international on the England plane to Qatar next month. Coady, Tarkowski, Gordon and Calvert-Lewin will all be hoping to catch the eye of Southgate in the next fortnight.
“Yeah, we have some great English talent at Everton, which is great," he said.
"We don’t really talk about it because our sole focus is on Everton at the time being and putting in good performances for Everton can only give each other a chance for the World Cup or future times with England.”
Pickford has also leapt to the defence of Southgate and insisted England's squad will head to Qatar with positivity despite a six-match winless run.
“Gareth is a brilliant manager. He is brilliant and we will go to the World Cup positive. We will give it our best shot and hopefully bring the cup home," he said.
“I think for us it is about making the nation proud and doing our best in the tournament. We know what we are capable of doing and we have great squad togetherness.
“Togetherness gets you so far, so I think if we haven’t won in six, it is not the end of the world and we will still be going to Qatar as positive as anything after the last two tournaments.”
Pickford was not involved in the last four matches due to a mixture of injury and is relishing the prospect of returning to Southgate's squad next month.
He said: “I can’t wait. I was injured for the last camp, which was unfortunate, but I have got myself fit and I am raring to go. I am playing for Everton again now so in a good run of form leading up to the World Cup and looking forward to the World Cup itself.
“We played the Nations League and, you know, we are playing Italy, the Euro champions, Hungary are a very good side so that is what the Nations League is good for, because you are playing in competitive matches.
“As a footballer you are never going to win every game. You want to win every game but you can’t win them all and the run we’ve had with England over the last four to five years has been sensational.
“Yeah, the results haven’t gone our way (of late) but we will rectify that come the World Cup.”
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