Had things gone differently, Kieran Trippier could have been involved in the Atletico Madrid/Manchester City scrap on Wednesday night.
The Champions League quarter final ended in a huge scuffle, as the La Liga side slumped out of the competition. The tone was set early when Felipe clattered into Phil Foden, and the Atleti defender ended the night with a red card for another naughty challenge on the City wonderkid.
Foden then rolled back onto the pitch, inciting a huge brawl led by Stefen Savic. The commotion continued after full time, with the two teams clashing in the tunnel.
They were unsavoury scenes as tempers flared, and Diego Simeone’s side crashed out of the Champions League with a anything but a whimper.
The BT Sport pundits were shocked and appalled by what they witnessed, but it probably came as no surprise to Toon defender Trippier.
What Kieran Trippier said about Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone before kick off
Newcastle signed Trippier from Atleti in January, and the 31-year-old was asked about Simeone and his side before the Champions League clash with Man City.
“I loved playing for Simeone and thriving off defending,” Trippier said.
“I improved massively playing for him. He is a special guy. Many people watch the odd game, but in La Liga they play totally different football.
“Against the top teams you need to be more defensive minded. It’s not fair talking about the dark arts and him. When we used to play Liverpool and Chelsea he would tell us to get in their faces and wind them up. They want to wind players up.
“From minute one he will be asking for yellow cards from the touchline and the players will be winding up others. He wants players to get around the ref. Savic will be the big one tonight, he will be in Man City’s faces.”
He called it spot on when it comes to Savic, who ended the night with a handful of Jack Grealish’s hair.
Trippier’s Atleti experience could help Newcastle
While you want to see your team doing whatever it takes to win, some Atleti players crossed the line on Wednesday night.
But, as Trippier said, that’s how Simeone tries to gain an advantage against the better teams.
And it’s that kind of mentality that could end up helping Newcastle in the future.
Trippier learnt a lot from the Argentinian manager. He became a better defender, and he’ll have acquired some game management skills as well.
Winding players up and trying to get an advantage – it isn’t pretty but it’s something that happens on every football pitch, particularly at the top level.
With Newcastle looking to climb the Premier League table, they will eventually need to become more street smart, especially as they look to dethrone the bigger sides in the division.
That’s where Trippier’s experience with the ‘dark arts’ could help us.
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