It was relatively surprising that Kieran trippier was a starter for England against Croatia … on the left side. With Walker first in the preferences of Southgate for the lane right handed, and with two born left sides as Chilwell and Shaw, the British coach opted for the mattress in that demarcation.
It was the fifth time in his career that he played there. The first was with Tottenham, in 2017, in an EFL Cup game against Barnsley. The other three, this season with the English team. And it is that despite the surprise it caused in the islands, the truth is that Southgate he had been warning of his intentions for a long time.
And the premiere came at the Eurocup, at Wembley, and Trippier it was the left back. The coach intended to strengthen the defensive system and, with Sterling ahead and Mason Mount falling to that area, the mattress side's mission was to maintain position and not happily deploy in attack.
This is reflected in the majority of the English press, and even Southgate He came to qualify it as a “defensive animal” that has been molded by the hand of Diego Simeone at Atlético de Madrid. Two years ago when Trippier He arrived at the rojiblanco team, admitting that one of the points in which he had to improve was in defense. He stood out for his offensive qualities, but behind him, he cast some doubt that began to be corrected from his first training session in Los Angeles de San Rafael. Without speaking any Spanish, German Burgos He was in charge of standing by his side in the tactical exercises to indicate the movements he wanted to carry out.
Two years later, Trippier, 31, has improved on defense. So much so that it is considered by the coach Southgate to play on the left side in front of two footballers who are used to performing in that position. That has led Manchester United to want his signing for the next campaign.
DEFENSE TO ULTRANZA
And the British coach was blunt when asked about his decision to have Trippier on the left-handed side. “What it has KieranFirst of all, it's that it's hugely underrated, ”Southgate said. “People continue to see the boy who was at Spurs a couple of years ago and not the defensive animal who grew up at Atlético de Madrid, trusted by one of the best and most successful coaches in the world. He manages to cover his distances, he is good one against one to stop crosses … ”, analyzed Southgate.