Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium.
James Trafford made his first error leading to a goal for Leeds United over the weekend.
Ever since his £40million move over the summer, the Englishman has looked to be an assured presence in between the sticks for us. This is a welcome change considering some of the goalkeepers we’ve had to watch in recent years.
However, the game against Bournemouth was a harsh reminder that for as talented as Trafford is, he is still a young goalkeeper learning his trade at the end of the day.
Ever since the game against Newcastle at Elland Road, where Trafford was repeatedly caught on the ball by Yoane Wissa, it seemed inevitable at one stage of the season that he would make a mistake with his feet.
The dreaded mistake eventually came against Bournemouth. Trafford’s pass that was intended for Ao Tanaka was intercepted by Justin Kluivert and squared to Evanilson to give Bournemouth the lead. Steven Gerrard recently had his say on the incident on The Overlap Daily.
Steven Gerrard reacts to James Trafford’s costly mistake v Bournemouth
Naturally, Trafford’s mistake was the biggest talking point during our game over the weekend, during our 2-0 defeat.
Rather than pinning all the blame on Trafford when analysing the incident, Gerrard gave praise to Marco Rose and his staff for their high press and “setting traps”, as he put it.
The former England and Liverpool midfielder also said that Bournemouth will have known that Trafford is the sort of ‘keeper to take risks with his feet prior to kick-off. This would’ve been highlighted as an area they can exploit.
“They know Trafford is from City and how he’s been schooled and how he likes to build,” Gerrard said.
“These types of goalkeepers take a little bit of a risk. Alisson’s the same with Liverpool; Trafford’s one. These managers that like to build from back to front a lot and are obsessed with it. They give you a chance from time to time.
“I’d rather give Bournemouth the credit there. Trafford’s made a mistake. It’s clear to see, but you have to go punish that mistake.”
James Trafford needs more urgency with the ball at his feet
I’ve been a massive fan of Trafford since he signed for Leeds. But like I say, this mistake against Bournemouth had a feeling of inevitability about it.
I get he’s composed on the ball. I wouldn’t want to change that.
But sometimes he’s too composed for his own good. A bit more urgency in his play would serve him well.
Take the game against Sunderland, for example. There were a couple of points in that game where it felt as though Trafford had the ball at his feet for an eternity before making a decision.
Considering the fee he arrived for and his reputation, it’s still so easy to forget that this is still just Trafford’s second season as a number one goalie in the Premier League.
He’s a player whose peak will likely be in the 2030s, as far away as that seems. But in the here and now, Trafford has proven he is still capable of making a huge impact for us.
Part of the reason Trafford signed for us is so he could continue his development. We have to take the rough with the smooth and realise that in the long term, our goalkeeper will save us far more often than he costs us.
