SecondThe countdown to the England Championship demands an injury scare story. The problem with what Kieran Trippier initiated last Wednesday from the other side of the world in Australia is that he was oblivious to it.
Trippier came off after 37 minutes of Newcastle United’s post-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in Melbourne, a game that weighed on players after a tough season and with Euro 2024 on the horizon. Widely ridiculed for the pressure.
It was a planned change as Trippier was only just returning to fitness after ten weeks out with a calf problem, and although he joked that his former Tottenham team-mate Son Heung-min gave him such a test, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, no. The only way is to get rid of him. “It felt like I played 120 minutes,” Trippier said. Jet lag can do that.
So Trippier sat on the bench, applied some ice and lifted his leg. That’s when the madness really begins. “I got a lot of messages after the game,” he said. “There was no knocking. This was precautionary. Because flying [to Australia]we didn’t train and then went to play a high-intensity game against Tottenham…
“I don’t want to put a bag of ice in, put my legs up and think, ‘OK, I want to be in the media.'” But the next minute, everybody’s messaging me saying I’m quitting the game and this and that and another. I thought: ‘Am I?
Trippier wants to be clear that he is in good shape, or, more likely, after a long break and only one week of action with his legs at the end of the Premier League season. the best. He played a total of 73 minutes in Newcastle United’s last three games.
That’s good too because England need him. Oops. When Gareth Southgate named his provisional 33-man squad for the Euros, he included just one specialist left-back, Luke Shaw, who has been out of action since mid-February due to muscle injuries. Injured and did not play. Shaw is unlikely to be ready for the start of the final – England face Serbia next Sunday – meaning Trippier will start at left-back; a side where he is less popular.
All eyes will be on Trippier on Monday night when he captains England for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina at his club’s stadium, St James’ Park, with his son Jacob as mascot Fight alongside him. It will be an extremely special moment, fitting in well with the extreme circumstances he has been through recently, and the timetable for his long trip to Melbourne is worth reviewing.
Trippier and his Newcastle teammates traveled from London after the game at Brentford on Sunday, May 19, and arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday morning. It was a recovery day, then against Spurs, another recovery day, another game against the A-League All-Stars – when Howe put his boys on and gave Trippier and the rest of the first-team squad a rest – Then back to England.
They arrived just after United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final, a result that knocked Newcastle out of next season’s UEFA Europa League. Having participated in the Champions League last season, they will miss the European competition next time.
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Trippier has spoken of how he tried to keep British time in Australia but it was “difficult”. Cue the sad smile. “It was a good trip,” he insists, even if it’s not ideal. Trippier can handle it. That’s what he does, and resilience is one of his key attributes. It’s why Southgate has previously described him as a “warrior” and why he knows he can rely on him – even at left-back, where Trippier has recently played more minutes for England than Newcastle.
“I wouldn’t say it’s any different than playing at right-back,” Trippier said. “I’m not left-footed, but whether I play or not, I will be ready. I represent my country and that is the greatest thing and honor.
Trippier, 33, is one of the team’s veterans and leaders; like the other defenders Southgate continues to rely on – Kyle Walker, John Stones and Harry Maguire. When the coach finalized his squad for his first game – against Tunisia at the 2018 World Cup – he fielded all four players, albeit with a back five rather than his favored back four. Trippier starts at right-back; on the left is Ashley Young.
Trippier has no hesitation in saying England can win at the Euros and it’s interesting to hear him talk about the team’s visitors to Middlesbrough’s training ground on Saturday – England’s 2019 World Cup-winning cricket captain Ben ·Stokes. The team is known for its emphasis on making aggressive decisions on offense and defense. Their mentality can serve as an example.
“Ben spoke to us and we all benefited a lot from it,” Trippier said. “It’s the same thing we want to do. We want to attack every game, attack every game, just like cricket. He has some incredible stories about the setbacks he’s gone through and we can relate those to We connect ourselves.
