James Trafford has received a lot of criticism for his role in the second goal of Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, but one pundit thinks the goalkeeper was not to blame.
Saturday was a disappointing day for Man City as they were convincingly beaten by Spurs at the Etihad Stadium, with the second goal of the contest summing up the match for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Trafford restarted the match with a risky ball very close to his goal, which was picked off by Pape Matar Sarr, before Palhinha finished off the action by putting the ball into the City net.
Trafford was criticised in the aftermath of his error, but ESPN pundit Frank Leboeuf has blamed another Man City star for the goal being conceded.
Frank Leboeuf blames Nico Gonzalez for Tottenham’s second goal
It was reported during the summer that Nico Gonzalez was ready to leave Man City as several clubs showed interest in the Spanish midfielder due to uncertainty over the minutes he would get throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
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The 23-year-old would remain at the Etihad Stadium, and Gonzalez impressed against Wolves during the opening weekend of the season, while also being one of the Manchester club’s better players against Tottenham.
Despite this, Leboeuf has blamed the midfielder for Spurs’ second goal as the former Chelsea star believes the Spain international should not have asked Trafford for the ball.
“I’m upset about the second goal. Yes, Trafford made a mistake of giving the ball, but what about Nico [Gonzalez]?” the pundit said on ESPN FC.
“Why did Nico ask for the ball? And you can see that again when he really asked for the ball, when he has two guys behind him and forces the goalkeeper to give him the ball.
“Yeah, okay, the goalkeeper has a choice and free will to decide whether he’s going to give the ball or not, but he’s forced by Nico Gonzalez, I don’t get it. I don’t understand if it’s Guardiola asking that.”
Pep Guardiola’s record against Tottenham
Although Man City’s performance was worrying on Saturday, some fans may put the result down to the game simply being against Tottenham, a club Guardiola has struggled against throughout his time at the Etihad Stadium.
The legendary coach has faced the Spurs on 24 occasions, winning 11, drawing three, and losing the remaining 10. During these games, Man City have scored 35 goals, but have also seen the ball fly into their own net 34 times.
Alongside Liverpool, the North London club have beaten Guardiola’s teams more than any other club, which is an outcome the legendary coach has not been able to find a consistent solution to throughout his time in Manchester.