'is Trafford Really Top Drawer?' - Guardiola's Keeper Conundrum

"It's happened again, it's happened again, Manchester City, it's happened again."

That was nan chant bellowed from nan Etihad Stadium's distant extremity astatine full-time aft City were again humbled astatine location by Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs were scintillating connected their sojourn present past November and inflicted a 4-0 thrashing, but they were fixed a helping manus connected this juncture and it was 1 they gleefully accepted.

This clip it was 2-0. The visiting Spurs contingent, who person suffered arsenic targets of nan "it's happened again" jibe successful nan past, made judge to bask nan moment.

Deploying a precocious protect statement costs Pep Guardiola's City broadside nan opening goal, while goalkeeper James Trafford did not screen himself successful glory for nan 2nd successful an wide jittery capacity connected his location debut.

Ederson has been City's undisputed number 1 for 8 years, but nan Brazilian watched connected from nan chair aft missing nan Wolves crippled done unwellness past play amid dense links pinch a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray.

What is clear is that Guardiola has a large semipermanent determination to make astir nan goalkeeper role.

"James made a bully first crippled and I decided to proceed [with him]," said Guardiola, explaining Trafford's selection.

"The keeper is simply a typical position, of course, to person much consistency successful nan goal.

"When I return decisions successful nan first portion of nan play for each nan players who play 1 aliases 2 games, everyone thinks 'OK this is nan starting line-up, these are nan players who are going to play', but pinch these magnitude of games, everyone will play.

"It was conscionable coming I decided that."

Trafford was successful celebratory temper earlier successful nan week erstwhile he collected nan PFA's Championship subordinate of nan twelvemonth grant astatine nan Opera House successful Manchester metropolis centre, reward for his performances successful nan 2nd tier for Burnley.

The 22-year-old kept 29 cleanable sheets successful nan convention past play for nan Clarets, and aft joining City he was quickly connected song, arsenic Guardiola pointed out, successful nan opening triumph astatine Wolves.

But this was a different story, a difficult first showing successful a City garment astatine Etihad Stadium.

Trafford came done nan City ranks and rejoined nan nine for £27m from Burnley this summertime having not made a elder quality successful his first spell.

He will person been dreaming of playing Premier League shot for City astatine nan Etihad, but it turned into an uncomfortable afternoon, Trafford slipping distant from centre shape astatine nan last whistle pinch songs from joyful Spurs fans ringing successful his ears.

Guardiola has turned to younker successful his rebuild.

Saturday's team, pinch an mean property of 24 years and 326 days, was nan youngest starting XI named by nan Spaniard successful nan Premier League and they person plentifulness to learn.

Tottenham's Richarlison pressed relentlessly each crippled and forced Trafford into conceding a corner, while nan keeper was fortunate not to beryllium dismissed for a collision connected nan separator of nan container pinch Spurs winger Mohammed Kudus.

And astatine 1-0 behind, pinch nan crowd opening to get anxious, those shaky moments past turned into a calamity arsenic Trafford played a loose walk wrong nan area to Ruben Dias, who grounded to control, and Joao Palhinha yet smashed in.

City grounded to recover, slipping to conclusion successful their first location crippled of nan campaign.

"City were good beaten today," erstwhile Premier League striker Chris Sutton said connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "I've sewage to opportunity I'm not judge astir nan goalkeeper situation.

"Is James Trafford really apical drawer? If it's a prime betwixt Trafford and Ederson, I'm going pinch Ederson.

"It was mediocre for nan goal, a anemic walk into Dias, not moreover passing connected to nan correct side, and that perfectly killed them pinch Spurs going successful 2-0 astatine half-time."

Paris St-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma is rumoured to beryllium of liking to City and sources person not wholly ruled retired a move for nan Italian, but it would request Ederson to move on.

Guardiola, though, now has a determination to make arsenic to whether he sticks pinch Trafford, brings Ederson backmost into nan fold, aliases sells nan Brazilian and signs Donnarumma.

The head seems unsure himself, having said earlier nan commencement of nan play that Ederson was his number one, but past connected Friday saying he will prime "who trains good".

Trafford was fixed nan nod, but nan determination raises much questions than answers.

Similar to counterpart Ruben Amorim crossed nan city, nan managers of some Manchester clubs each person a goalkeeping conundrum to woody pinch if they are to claw their measurement backmost to nan top.

"There was a batch of talk aft week 1 that this Man City squad were back," erstwhile Everton midfielder Leon Osman said connected BBC Radio 5 Live. "I deliberation this lets everybody return a measurement backmost and reassess that.

"They were measurement disconnected nan level that Spurs were astatine today."