“He’s a strong man” – James Trafford receives message of support from Pep Guardiola after Tottenham blunder | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has put full faith behind James Trafford, days on from his individual blunder against Tottenham during a 0-2 home defeat.

The 22-year-old endured a difficult afternoon at the Etihad, with his loose pass inside his own area gifting Joao Palhinha a golden opportunity to double Tottenham’s advantage just before half-time.

Trafford had already been fortunate to avoid a red card following a collision with Mohammed Kudus earlier in the contest, capping off a testing home debut in front of the City supporters. Despite the error, Guardiola has moved quickly to throw his support behind the England international.

The defeat to Spurs marked a second successive shock at the Etihad for City against the North London outfit, who had also thrashed Pep Guardiola’s side 0-4 last November under Ange Postecoglou. Now under Thomas Frank, Tottenham frustrated City with a resolute defensive display, with the hosts unable to find a way back despite chances for Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush.

While the result leaves Manchester City playing catch-up in the league’s opening weeks, the focus since has been on James Trafford’s handling of his first major setback at the club, at a time when Guardiola is weighing up his options in the goalkeeping department.

Ederson continues to attract strong interest from Galatasaray, while Stefan Ortega has ambitions of regular football. Trafford’s rise has offered Guardiola a glimpse of the future, but his development will likely come with moments of inconsistency.

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s return to action against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on James Trafford and how the England international goalkeeper has handled the week since his performance against Tottenham.

“Always I have my arms on their shoulders, always, I will take care of them. It’s impossible for it to be better,” Guardiola responded when asked whether he has had to put an arm around the 22-year-old since his outing against Spurs.

The Manchester City boss continued, “And what happened [against Tottenham] doesn’t belong just to James, it’s not easy to say, but it doesn’t belong just to James what happened in the second goal against Spurs. And, of course he’s a strong man, he has a huge personality.

“Of course he’s concerned. What I would not like is if he was not concerned! But of course, we are here to help them. There’s no doubt about that. Many, many times always we are here to support in the bad moments.”

Guardiola’s words suggest Trafford will remain firmly in the manager’s plans moving forward, though whether he starts against Brighton remains an open question. The Catalan coach has already hinted at rotation, but his public defence of Trafford indicates a desire to shield the youngster from external pressure.

If Trafford does retain his place at the Amex, it would represent a show of trust from Guardiola and could accelerate his path to becoming Manchester City’s long-term No.1, particularly with Ederson’s future unresolved.

On the other hand, should Ederson return between the sticks, it may reflect Pep Guardiola’s cautious approach to managing young players after difficult moments. Looking longer term, the spotlight on Trafford will remain intense as City enter a demanding run of fixtures, including the start of their Champions League campaign.