Jamie Carragher thinks there is too much pressure on one member of Manchester City’s squad.
Pep Guardiola’s men made a promising start to the 2025/26 campaign with a 4-0 win over Wolves, but the legendary coach was brought back down to earth as Tottenham reminded the Spaniard how much work there is still to do with his current group of players.
Several stars struggled to deal with Spurs’ tactics last weekend, with Rayan Cherki often looking over to Guardiola for guidance as the French midfielder struggled with the man-marking system Thomas Frank used.
While speaking about City’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, Carragher stated that he thinks there is too much pressure on one position at the Etihad Stadium.
James Trafford in action during Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Man City cannot afford to wait for James Trafford
James Trafford received praise for his composed performance against Wolves, but that quickly changed against Tottenham, as the 22-year-old made an error that led to Spurs’ second goal.
Frank Leboeuf blamed Nico Gonzalez for the goal, but whatever way you look at it, the £31m goalkeeper made an error, which has already made life tough for the Englishman in Manchester.
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Speaking about Trafford’s mistake, Carragher has stated that Man City are a club that cannot afford to wait for Trafford to get up to speed, as any mistakes could see them fall behind in the title race.
“The only thing I’d say, Jill, is I agree with that. When a young player in any position, but especially a centre-back and goalkeeper, they’re going to make mistakes. I get that,” Carragher said on the latest episode of Stick to Football.
“But you almost want them to make the mistake. Man City can’t afford. Keepers make mistakes.
“I get that. But Man City can’t afford to be like, ‘oh, this is our project. We’re going to stick with him for the next two or three months’, and he’s making mistakes, and before, they are 10 points behind in the title race, the stakes are too high.
“And that’s why I think when we talk about young centre-backs and young goalkeepers playing for the biggest clubs, it’s tough. It’s tough to have that opportunity”.
This may be the reason Man City are looking to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma if Ederson leaves the club, but with Carragher’s comments in mind, it makes more sense to keep the Brazilian and allow Trafford to learn under him over the next year.
Ian Wright thinks James Trafford looked scared against Tottenham
Adding to this conversation, Ian Wright believes that Trafford looked scared in the Man City goal when making his error against the North London club due to the 22-year-old not being fully comfortable in what Guardiola is asking him to do.
“He looks scared. In that moment, he looks… Trafford, in respect, at that moment, it’s almost… He looks scared, simply because the manager obviously wants him to play like that, and he was thinking, I should launch this. Then everyone’s closing in before he’s passed the incident,” Wright said.
Trafford will undoubtedly become a top goalkeeper in the Premier League, but the 22-year-old needs time.
It seems that the Englishman’s error has been blown up way out of proportion, but that has been caused by Man City and their continued interest in Donnarumma.