Everton managed a 1-1 draw against Brighton in their last Premier League game and Michael Ball says that he was gutted that the Toffees couldn’t pick up all three points at Goodison Park.
The Toffees are gradually improving under Sean Dyche, and they have managed to stay unbeaten in their last three games. Ball, who has previously worked for BBC, wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo that Jordan Pickford “simply must do better”.
Pickford has been one of the most consistent players for the Toffees over the past few years, and Ball says that the England number one can be “spectacular” at times, but last Saturday, he let himself down.
Ball suggests that he shouldn’t have rushed into kicking the ball that resulted in possession for Brighton, and moments later they equalized.
“I can’t help but feel that Jordan Pickford let himself down on Saturday afternoon. For Brighton’s goal, he simply must do better,” wrote Ball for Liverpool Echo.
“And when I say he should do better, I don’t mean in terms of saving Kaoru Mitoma’s cross that took a wicked deflection off Ashley Young; I am talking about his role in the build-up to the piece of play that sees the Brighton man pick up the ball out wide.
“There is no doubting that Jordan’s kicking can be spectacular at times, but on Saturday he had absolutely no reason to rush his kick, which resulted in Brighton getting the ball back and then drawing level just seconds later.
“He doesn’t have to go for the Hollywood ball all the time. There are times when he should be reading the room and taking his time.”
Dyche impact
Everton have made a steady start to the season and it seems the players have adapted to the methods under Dyche.
There are suggestions that Brighton probably deserved something from the game but Everton fans will be disappointed with the draw. They took an early lead through Vitaly Mykolenko but conceded a goal in the 84th minute.
They have bounced back nicely after their 2-0 loss against Liverpool, and Dyche will hope his side can pick up more points in the coming weeks. Everton will face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park next Saturday (11 November).
