James Trafford
James Trafford Credit: Imago
James Trafford has come under criticism after his error against Arsenal allowed the Gunners to stage a 2-1 comeback win over Leeds United on Saturday.
The Leeds goalkeeper could have done better to keep Riccardo Calafiori’s equalising goal from slipping in, and even Daniel Farke admitted that, on a good day, he would have tipped it over the bar.
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Ally McCoist conceded he should have saved it, but Stuart Pearce was more brutal in commentary for talkSPORT, calling the Leeds man ‘chocolate wrists’.
Even former goalkeepers are joining the bandwagon, and a former Manchester United man has trained his guns at Trafford over his Emirates Stadium error.
Read More: Stuart Pearce’s James Trafford jibe was classless, cheap and beneath him
Tim Howard insists James Trafford has to level up
The former Manchester United goalkeeper admitted Trafford will want to forget his afternoon at the Emirates on Saturday.
He highlighted a couple of mistakes the Leeds goalkeeper made and conceded that the Leeds custodian now has no room for error.
Howard stressed that Trafford is now in the running for the England number 1 shirt and must improve his consistency to justify the hype around himself.
“It’s a day [Trafford] will want to have back”, Howard said on the USA Network.
“A couple of mistakes.
“But look, he’s England’s number one now, so he has got to up his level.”
The James Trafford pile-on needs to stop
James Trafford does not deserve to have his entire Leeds United career judged on one mistake against Arsenal. Yes, he should have done better with the equaliser, and he knows it.
But the reaction needs perspective.
Goalkeeping is an unforgiving business. One lapse can cost a team points, while a string of good saves can go largely unnoticed. That is the reality of the position, and Trafford should not be treated differently because of one disappointing moment.
Leeds signed him for what he can bring over an entire season, not because they expected him to be flawless. He needs the chance to learn from the error, regain his confidence and show his quality again.
The best response now is to back Trafford and let his performances do the talking.