- James Trafford has impressed in recent outings
- Gianluigi Donnarumma remains the Premier League starter
- Pep Guardiola faces a key decision ahead of Chelsea game
Manchester City face Chelsea in the Premier League, with a key decision to be made over who starts in goal.
Pep Guardiola has one game in hand against league toppers Arsenal. The nine-point gap is the difference between the Spanish manager catching up or losing the title for a second season in a row.
City’s last two games strayed a bit from expectations as two draws in a row against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United added to the frustration.
Despite that, the club’s Cup campaigns saw immense success. It was partly thanks to the City Academy graduate James Trafford, who displayed incredible performances against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.
James Trafford outperforms expectations
| Opponent | Competition | xGOT Faced | Goals Conceded | Goals Prevented | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | FA Cup | 1.71 | 0 | +1.71 | 9.2 |
| Arsenal | EFL Cup | 0.74 | 0 | +0.74 | 8.2 |
| Newcastle | FA Cup | 0.69 | 1 | -0.31 | 6.5 |
| Salford | FA Cup | 0.57 | 0 | +0.57 | 8.1 |
| Newcastle | EFL Cup | 1.17 | 1 | +0.17 | 7.3 |
After Donnarumma took the reins at City, Trafford became a prominent Cup goalkeeper. The Englishman proved himself against Arsenal with a triple save when the match was still a draw, helping City to win the Carabao Cup.
The goalkeeper faced an even greater challenge against Liverpool. With an xGOT faced of 1.71, Trafford proved a significant opponent to Mohamed Salah.
He saved both a penalty and a close counter low corner attempt from the Egyptian attacker. Needless to say, they have been the Trafford’s best matches in a Man City shirt.
Gianluigi Donnarumma’s recent performances
| Opponent | Competition | xGOT Faced | Goals Conceded | Goals Prevented | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | Premier League | 0.99 | 1 | -0.01 | 6.5 |
| Nottingham | Premier League | 1.16 | 2 | -0.84 | 5.7 |
| Leeds | Premier League | 0.47 | 0 | +0.47 | 8.0 |
| Newcastle | Premier League | 1.10 | 1 | +0.10 | 7.5 |
| Fulham | Premier League | 0.46 | 0 | +0.46 | 8.1 |
While the number two outperformed, Donnarumma, on the other hand, hasn’t had the best of games in the Premier League.
A misjudged corner against West Ham United cost City a win. Against Nottingham Forest, some defensive errors led to the first goal, and an unexpected curler by Elliot Anderson caught Donnarumma off guard.
The goal against West Ham could have been avoided, but the ones against Forest are up for debate. The three previous performances remained consistent against Leeds United, Newcastle United and Fulham.
Is it time for Trafford to step up?
In terms of recent form, Trafford clearly holds an edge. The Englishman just faced two Big Six teams and didn’t let the knockout pressure affect his performance.
Donnarumma, on the other hand, has low variance despite recent underperformances. Chelsea isn’t a far reach for Trafford, but the competition is on a different platform.
However, the goalkeeper also had a bad time in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the season.
City lost 2-0 as Trafford failed to close the gap between him and Brennan Johnson for the first goal and made a poor pass to Rodri, who was being pressed by Pape Matar Sarr, directly leading to the second.
Despite recent underperformance, Donnarumma should start because the Italian offers lower variance and greater first division experience, which is crucial when the margin for error is low.
