Chris Sutton has claimed that Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier has been off his game recently after defeats to Everton and Tottenham.
It was Trippier’s mistakes against Everton that cost the team the first two goals and then again on Sunday the England international looked off the pace as he defended against Heung-Min Son.
On The Monday Night Club, Sutton was very critical of Trippier’s recent performances and is concerned for future Newcastle games.
Sutton says Trippier’s tired legs are starting to show
At this point it’s no secret that the Newcastle players are tired and it’s easy to see that from their performances.
Trippier is usually such a reliable right-back who his teammates can often depend on to pull them out of a tricky situation, but even the 33-year-old has been off his game after starting five consecutive matches in the last two weeks.
Two big mistakes against the Toffees cost Newcastle the game in what was a tight affair up until that point, and then the £12m signing couldn’t cope with the speed of Son on Sunday who drove past Trippier at every opportunity.
Sutton has now suggested that Trippier’s performances for Newcastle have been well below standard even despite who he was up against.
On the show, Sutton said: “It’s about mental strength now. The game in the week against Milan is so big for them. They responded well after Bournemouth and they are going to need to go again.
“Spurs are probably the worst team they could have played, the way they play, but they looked really bad.
“Kieran Trippier has been a brilliant player but when he is starting to look absolutely average… He has the last couple of games. He has been an outstanding player for Newcastle but he has looked out on his feet.
“The last player he would have wanted to play against is Son, every time he got the ball he was driving at him.”
Newcastle have another quick turnaround for Milan
Football can be a cruel game at times and just when you’re in desperate need of a rest there’s always that next game right around the corner.
When you’re competing at the top end of the Premier League, challenging for domestic trophies and playing every other week in the Champions League, you know your squad depth is going to be tested.
Newcastle don’t have a lot of time to recover from that defeat to Tottenham as they very quickly have to prepare to host Milan on Wednesday and despite what Sutton said, Trippier will be looking to get back to his best form.
The whole team needs a huge boost and will be hoping that the crowd at St James’ Park can create a similar atmosphere to the one against PSG which was arguably the loudest the stadium has been in recent memory.
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