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Tottenham: Kieran Trippier’s journey from second fiddle to indispensable

By Uzair Madhani

VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA - JUNE 18: Syam Ben Youssef of Tunisia challenges Kieran Trippier of England during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA - JUNE 18: Syam Ben Youssef of Tunisia challenges Kieran Trippier of England during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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Over the course of the last season, Trippier has gone from backup at Spurs to his country’s starting right-back. It represents a meteoric rise for the 27-year old Englishman.

As the dust settled on England’s World Cup opener, there was a chance for the Three Lions to sit back and welcome the plaudits. Harry Kane was rightly praised for his two predatory strikes. Harry Maguire’s surging runs from centre-back were another feature of the side. Marcus Rashford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek brought invention and guile from the bench. However, arguably the best player on the pitch was Kieran Trippier.

Primary chance creator

Against Tunisia, Trippier bombed down the right wing, causing mayhem. Gareth Southgate’s 3-1-4-2 pushes the fullbacks forward, using them to give the side more width. Trippier has been freed of many of his defensive duties in this role, taking up the right-sided spot of the four. The license to fly forward paid dividends, as England could take full advantage of Trippier’s fantastic crossing ability.

Trippier’s creation rate was the highest in a single game for an England player since 1966, barring David Beckham. Like Beckham, Tripper was put in charge of most set-pieces. It proved to be an excellent decision on Gareth Southgate’s part, as both of England’s goals came from corners taken by Trippier.

Down the pecking order

The outlook was not always this rosy for Trippier. When Spurs signed him from Burnley in 2015, he immediately found himself stuck down the pecking order. With England, he faced the same problem, and in both cases, Kyle Walker stood in his way. Walker was fast developing into the right-back England had craved, and one they had desperately needed following the retirement of Gary Neville. Players like Glen Johnson and Wayne Bridge struggled, and could not convince anyone in the role. Now, with Walker, England finally had a solution to a problem position.

What helped Trippier, even more, was the firing of Sam Allardyce from the England setup. Southgate taking over coincided with Trippier’s rise to prominence as Walker’s understudy, and saw his first involvement with the national setup since 2011, when he made a couple of appearances for the U-21 side.

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