Newcastle’s Carabao Cup defeat saw things go from bad to worse for Kieran Trippier who is having a nightmare month for the Magpies.
The England international has been one of their best performers since he joined the club for £12m in January 2022 from Atletico Madrid.
He played a massive part as they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in two decades last season and is joint top of the Premier League assist charts this season with seven.
But over the past month his mistakes have cost Newcastle in the Premier League and now in the Carabao Cup, as he has gifted sloppy goals and lacked his usual attacking zest.
It his worst run of form since his final year at Tottenham in 2018-19, and England boss Gareth Southgate will hope this is just a momentary blip.
Newcastle’s defeat to Chelsea was another tough night for Kieran Trippier in a poor month
The defender first let in Mykhailo Mudryk to score a stoppage time equaliser for Chelsea
His drop in confidence was reflected by his penalty which he went comfortable wide of the post
Trippier – who has been one of Newcastle’s better performers since he arrived – is going through a tough period – his worst run of form since his final season at Tottenham
Gareth Southgate will be hopeful that Trippier can find a return to form quickly – especially with the Newcastle defender expected to play a part in his Euro 2024 squad next summer
It all started on December 7, with the score goalless at Goodison Park in a tricky match for Newcastle – plagued by injuries – against a motivated Everton side.
On the 79th minute, Trippier gave up possession which led to Dwight McNeil putting the Toffees ahead.
Then just minutes later Jack Harrison nabbed the ball from him and teed up Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Arguably, he was partially to blame for the third goal too as he played Beto just onside and Newcastle took the trip back to Tyneside on the back of a 3-0 defeat.
Trippier took responsibility after the match and said it was now ‘about getting back on the bike again against Tottenham.’
However, against his former team, the bike never got pedalling as he was left for dust on two occasions by ex-team-mate Son Heung-min.
Tottenham’s opener after 26 minutes saw Son leave Trippier in his wake before crossing the ball for Destiny Udogie to score.
Then just 12 minutes later, Son decided to take Trippier head on and left the England international dazzled by his footwork – again getting past him and this time setting up Richarlison during a 4-1 victory.
Trippier gave the ball away twice for Everton’s opening two goals in a 3-0 victory this month
He was then left dazzled by former team-mate Son Heung-min during a 4-1 victory for Spurs
Things went from bad to worse as with the score at 3-0 on 83 minutes, the defender pointlessly dived in on Dejan Kulusevski earning him his fifth yellow of the season and a one match ban.
After missing the 3-0 win against Fulham he came back in against Chelsea with a spot in the Carabao Cup semi-finals on the line. Newcastle lost in the final in the same competition last season, and were determined to put things right.
Callum Wilson put the Magpies ahead after 16 minutes, and though Chelsea looked the better team after, it looked like Howe’s side were on the verge of the semi-finals.
But disaster struck as a Chelsea cross landed right at Trippier in stoppage time and looked like a ball he should comfortably deal with. But the Newcastle star awkwardly headed the ball and was then beaten to it by Mykhailo Mudryk who tucked the ball home first time to take the game to penalties.
Trippier stepped up to take a penalty for his side, but his effort was reflective of someone whose confidence has been completely shot.
A player who is normally so calm and composed, missed the target – and by some distance – and put his head in his shirt before Chelsea ultimately sealed the victory as they were faultless form the spot.
Howe defended his player after the match by hailing his ‘incredibly strong character’ and saying ‘it’s our turn to support him’.
Callum Wilson meanwhile said: ‘People go through difficult times and difficult spells. I’ve been through that myself – I think this (at Chelsea) was my first goal in five or six games.
It is the first time his form has been questioned since his final season at Tottenham in 2018-19
Trippier returned to form at Atletico Madrid who he helped win the LaLiga title two years ago
‘It happens. Tripps is a fantastic player, a fantastic person and professional. He was one of the first to join us after the takeover happened, and that showed his commitment and dedication to the club, and we’re very grateful for that.’
One mistake, especially for a player who has been so reliable and has played an incredible amount of football is understandable. However, game-changing errors in three out of four games, and it starts to become a worrying trend.
It is the first time his form has been questioned in over four years, during his last season at Tottenham.
His last game for the club was the 2019 Champions League final loss to Liverpool, but the full-back knew for some time that he was going to be leaving the club after his last season was marred by poor form and injuries.
It was a time where he faced constant criticism over his performances and people were surprised when he joined Diego Simeone’s ambitious Atletico Madrid project.
Yet, he made 86 appearances for the club and impressed out in Spain – playing a big part in their LaLiga title win in 2021 ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Trippier has been one of Newcastle’s best buys, playing a huge role in their turnaround from a side near the bottom of the table in January 2022 to qualifying for the Champions League
Newcastle’s ongoing injury crisis has arguably led to Trippier being overplayed and on current form he looks like a player who is desperate to be rested
Then came the £12m move to Newcastle in January 2022 – at a time when the Magpies had only won a single game of football all season and 19th in the Premier League.
Trippier’s experience and quality made an instant impact with the Magpies winning 12 out of their last 18 games to finish just outside the top ten.
Then in 2022-23, he provided ten assists in all competitions and helped guide them back into the Champions League for this season.
This season started strongly too, with a run of six assists in four games – including a hat-trick of created goals in the 8-0 thrashing of Sheffield United.
But the Magpies will be keen to put his recent issues behind him. It’s not only defensively but his attacking play has also suffered, with just one assist since the start of November.
There is one obvious factor to play and that is the amount of games that he has played over the last season and a half.
Trippier featured in 46 games last term and has already made 24 this season – thanks to their Champions League involvement. He has been overplayed due to Newcastle’s ongoing injury crisis and looks like a player desperate for a break.
He is likely to have a big involvement at the Euros with the right-back at Newcastle playing a lot of game-time as left-back under Southgate.
The Three Lions boss will hope that Trippier can find his form and confidence quickly and that it doesn’t become a problem going into the Euros.
