PICKFORD: MY DEFENCE CAN BE BEST IN EUROPE

JORDAN PICKFORD has claimed that England’s ambition is to have the best defence in Europe, and demanded they take the first step towards that target in Bulgaria tonight. It has been said that England’s attacking options are as good as anything in the game at present, but it is a different story at the other end of the pitch as clean sheets are proving elusive. England’s defending in Prague on Friday showed no improvement from the slapdash display against Kosovo last month and Gareth Southgate is set to make a number of changes this evening, with Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell and Trent Alexander-Arnold all in line to start. Keeper Pickford concedes that standards have dipped but says there is enough talent in the squad to turn the situation around. ‘We are all so disappointed,’ said Pickford. ‘We know as a group how much better we can be. You look around and you see the ability in the squad. We just didn’t knuckle down and transform what we had been doing in training into the game. This is a whole new experience for some of the lads. We hadn’t lost a qualifier in a decade which is unbelievable. Hopefully this is a blessing in disguise. ‘We all play well for our clubs and get picked for England because of that. Everyone is fighting for positions. I don’t think (the goals) are a concern. ‘I hate getting beaten, I hate conceding goals. ‘It was a missed opportunity but we will bounce back and learn from it. It is about keeping a clean sheet as a collective. ‘Everyone knows about the attacking ability and depth we have got. Qualification is still there for us.’