“Kieran (Trippier) at the moment I feel his all round game is ahead of Trent.”
A view that many will argue, however, it is the view of England manager, Gareth Southgate. Ultimately, his view is the only one that matters when selecting his side ahead of the World Cup.
In tournament football, a side needs leaders, it needs consistency, bravery and character. Trippier, has gained the trust of Southgate. The Newcastle United defender may be behind Reece James in the pecking order for England, but he has the mentality Southgate is looking for. It is that mentality that will likely see Trippier feature in Qatar ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool man has fallen out of favour with Southgate, and has a real fight on his hands to force his way into England’s World Cup squad.
Mentality Monster
It is not just about consistently putting in good performances for their respective clubs, it’s also about what they can bring to the dressing room. A lot was made of Conor Coady’s impact during England’s Euro 2020 campaign. He may not have made it onto the pitch during the tournament, though he did make a sizeable impression off it.
It is thought that this is one of the reasons Alexander-Arnold has been overlooked by Southgate. Trippier is thought to be more valuable to England both on and off the pitch. His experience in previous tournaments is also a factor.
Though there is no doubting Alexander-Arnold’s obvious talent, he lacks the off field influence Trippier has.
Trippier has made a fantastic start to his Newcastle United career. Becoming an indispensable figure in the dressing room and on the pitch. Trippier has notched 3 goals in his 13 Premier League appearances for Newcastle, all of which have been free-kicks.
When Trippier picked up a foot injury last season, his influence remained, albeit from the sidelines. His determination and desire to haul Newcastle to safety was incredible.
Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp talks about ”Mentality monsters.” Trippier falls into that bracket for England and it’s exactly why he will be heading to Qatar instead of Alexander-Arnold.
2 responses to “Kieran Trippier Earns Southgate’s Trust”
I think this ir a very fair insight. Tournament football needs leaders and motivators who are prepared to dig in and push harder when things aren’t going well. Kieran demonstrates this for Newcastle both whilst injured and when playing. Trent sometimes looks less interested if not on the front foot. Clearly we only see what is happening in 90 mins but it is the rest of the week and how you support and lead that team ethos that is as important
Thanks Duncan. Trent is a great talent but that only gets you so far. Until Trent becomes more of an influence off the pitch, Southgate will continue to overlook him. Might be seen as unfair to some, but you need leaders/characters during major tournaments.