Pep Guardiola defends Man City goalkeeper James Trafford after costly error in Tottenham defeat

Trafford, who returned to City this summer in a 27 million pound deal after two seasons with Burnley, was preferred to Ederson for the second straight match. However, his poor attempt to play out from the back gifted Joao Palhinha a goal just before halftime, compounding City's problems after Brennan Johnson had opened the scoring for Spurs.

Despite the error, Guardiola defended his decision, citing Trafford's strong performance in the season opener against Wolves.

"James made a good first game last week and I decided to continue with him," Guardiola told reporters. "When I take decisions in the first part of the season, people think this is the starting XI going forward. But that's not how it works. The keeper is a special position, but everyone will play."

With Ederson reportedly a transfer target for Turkish giants Galatasaray and rumors swirling about City's interest in PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Guardiola declined to confirm whether Trafford's inclusion was tied to any potential outgoing transfers.

"We'll see," he said when asked about possible new signings before the window closes on September 1. "We have one week. We talk with the club, players, agents. Anything can happen."

Guardiola emphasized that the defeat wasn't solely down to the goalkeeping error, pointing to a broader lack of execution across the pitch.

"We missed the simple things with the ball," he admitted. "Individually, we lacked the basics. We had chances, but didn't react well in our pressing or marking. That's on us. Tottenham were well-organized. Thomas (Frank) did a good job. Their final third play was effective, and they controlled transitions."

City have now lost eight of their last 15 matches against Spurs in all competitions, and the result exposed defensive vulnerabilities. Guardiola had also left key players like Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Akanji out of the squad - both linked to moves away-though he insisted that the rotation is simply part of managing a deep squad.

"I had to leave Rodri and Phil Foden out last week for the same reason," he said. "We just have a lot of players."

Guardiola remains confident in the team's overall trajectory despite the setback.

"The effort and running were extraordinary. We had a good pre-season, and after we won at Wolves last week, people said everything was fine. But I said we still had work to do. Step by step, we'll find our rhythm and make the right connections."

City will now regroup and prepare to face Brighton next weekend before the international break.

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