It was a proud moment for Leeds United supporters when Thomas Tuchel named two of the club’s players in his England squad for the extended international break.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was named in the squad for the second time this year, after also making the cut for the March internationals, and he came off the bench against Spain on Saturday.
The former Everton marksman, who has scored four goals this season, was unable to grab an equaliser off the bench, though, as the Three Lions lost 3-2 to the world champions.
Meanwhile, James Trafford started between the sticks ahead of Jordan Pickford as England’s number one in his first international outing since joining the club for £40m from Manchester City in the summer.
How James Trafford performed for England against Spain
It is rare that a goalkeeper who conceded more goals than they made saves can be happy with their performance in a game, but that was the case for the Leeds number one on Saturday.
Trafford conceded three goals from five shots on target in the match for the Three Lions, but there was very little that he could have done about the goals, as he faced two one-on-ones and a brilliant finish from range from Alex Baena.
The former City youngster did, though, make a huge save from Ferran Torres in a one-on-one situation when Spain were winning 1-0, and England went on to take a 2-1 lead and had a chance to make it 3-1 from the penalty spot through Harry Kane.
If England’s captain had scored the penalty and the team went on to win the match, Trafford’s save from Torres would have gone down as the moment that changed the game.
|
Vs Spain |
James Trafford |
|---|---|
|
Saves |
2 |
|
Goals conceded |
3 |
|
Sweeping success rate |
100% |
|
Pass accuracy |
88% |
|
Accurate long passes |
6/9 |
|
Touches |
37 |
|
Possession lost |
4 |
The 23-year-old stopper’s use of the ball was also impressive. He only gave possession away four times in 90 minutes and played several eye-catching passes under pressure to set up attacks for his team.
International star must never start for Leeds again
Whilst Trafford can be pleased, despite the defeat, with his England performance, one of his teammates had a less successful night on an individual level for their country on Saturday.
Ilia Gruev played the full 90 minutes for Bulgaria as they were beaten 2-1 by Luxembourg at home in the UEFA Nations League, in what was an incredibly disappointing result for his country.
In the previous Nations League season, Luxembourg failed to win any of their six matches in the group, and failed to score in two games against Bulgaria.
Losing 2-1 to Luxembourg in the first match of the current international campaign was a dismal result for Gruev’s country, therefore, because they should have been expected to win, particularly at home.
The left-footed central midfielder has not started a match for Leeds in any competition since he started a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in the Premier League in March, and that should remain his last start for the club.
In the 2025/26 campaign, Daniel Farke‘s side only won two of the 15 matches that Gruev started in the middle of the park in the Premier League.
|
Ilia Gruev’s last 10 Premier League starts |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Result |
|
Sunderland |
1-0 loss |
|
Man City |
1-0 loss |
|
Aston Villa |
1-1 draw |
|
Chelsea |
2-2 draw |
|
Nottingham Forest |
3-1 win |
|
Arsenal |
4-0 loss |
|
Everton |
1-1 draw |
|
Fulham |
1-0 win |
|
Newcastle United |
4-3 loss |
|
Man United |
1-1 draw |
Leeds won every 7.5 games on average with Gruev as a starter and every 2.6 matches without him as a starter, as they won nine of the 23 games that he did not start.
The 26-year-old, who has previously spoken about his pride of playing for Bulgaria, failed to take his chance on the international stage to show Farke that he can play a key role for him this season.
Gruev delivered a 4/10 performance for Bulgaria in his country’s disastrous 2-1 defeat to Luxembourg. Why? Well, he was far too safe and casual with his use of the ball.
The left-footed midfielder created 0.05 xA and zero ‘big chances’ in 90 minutes and 75 touches of the ball. Despite taking 75 touches, he did not attempt any dribbles, did not attempt any crosses, and did not take a single shot at goal.
Gruev completed 92% of his attempted passes in the game, which looks good on paper, but being too safe and not taking enough risks on the ball meant that he did not help his country to get back into the match from an offensive perspective.
That was an issue that he had in the Premier League for the Whites last season, as he averaged 0.5 key passes per game, and it does not look like he has improved on that since last term.
He was even worse for his country than Trafford was for England because he had enough touches of the ball to make an impact and failed to do so, whilst the Leeds goalkeeper impressed in spite of his lack of involvement.
Therefore, Gruev must never start another game for the club before being allowed to leave in January, as his teams have struggled domestically and internationally when they started him in midfield.
