Kieran Trippier starred at the 2018 World Cup, scoring in the semi-final against Croatia

Kieran Trippier was arguably England’s best player at the last World Cup as Gareth Southgate’s men went all the way to the semi-finals.

Harry Kane ultimately left Russia with the Golden Boot, but in terms of consistency across the whole tournament, it was Trippier who stepped up every game, and his goal against Croatia in the final four had fans dreaming about World Cup glory.

Now, four years on, he looks set to play a major role for England again in Qatar.

Kieran Trippier starred at the 2018 World Cup, scoring in the semi-final against Croatia

Kieran Trippier starred at the 2018 World Cup, scoring in the semi-final against Croatia

It has been some journey for the full-back, with the 32-year-old leaving the Premier League to try his luck in Spain, before returning to flourish at Newcastle.

With the World Cup less than three weeks away, Trippier looks to be in pole position to start England’s opening game against Iran on November 21.

Sportsmail has taken a look at how the Newcastle defender has gone from a fringe player in the England squad to being an almost certain starter at the World Cup.

Leaving Tottenham under a cloud 

When Trippier played at the last World Cup, he had established himself as Tottenham’s first-choice right-back. A year later, things were not quite so rosy. 

Spurs’ manager at the time, Mauricio Pochettino, was still largely standing by Trippier, but the England man was not a guaranteed starter, with Serge Aurier challenging him for his place.

In the 2018/19 season, Tottenham went on a remarkable run to the Champions League final, and Trippier started the showpiece event, but his own form did appear to dip in the second half of the campaign.

Trippier's Tottenham departure after the 2019 Champions League final was a surprise to some

Trippier’s Tottenham departure after the 2019 Champions League final was a surprise to some

Trippier has since admitted that he was not up to his usual standards in the final months of the season, but has revealed that he was left angry by chairman Daniel Levy offering him out to other clubs.

Tottenham had an excellent season, falling just short of European glory, but that Champions League final would turn out to be Trippier’s final game for the club as he joined Atletico Madrid the following month.

After four years at Tottenham it was hardly the exit that he’d have wanted, and moving to a different league appeared to be a risk. 

With the defender approaching his 29th birthday, it seemed he could fall out of Southgate’s plans at international level by playing outside of England.

Rebuilding at Atletico

Trippier may have moved out of the spotlight by moving abroad, but there was never any chance he was going to let his standards drop. Playing under Diego Simeone, that is simply not allowed.

Atletico are known for trying to keep things tight at the back and hitting teams on the counter-attack, meaning there was pressure on Trippier to fit straight in and maintain their impressive defensive record.

He did exactly that as Atletico conceded just 27 league goals in Trippier’s maiden campaign at the club – the second-best defensive record in the division.

Trippier made the most of his time in Spain, winning LaLiga with Atletico Madrid in 2020-21

Trippier made the most of his time in Spain, winning LaLiga with Atletico Madrid in 2020-21

Yet Simeone’s side still finished 17 points adrift of champions Real Madrid, and needed more to put themselves in title contention the following year.

In 2020-21, Atletico conceded two fewer goals than the previous campaign, and scored 16 more goals as they pipped Real Madrid to the title on the final day.

Trippier made an impact at both ends of the pitch, being part of the best defence in LaLiga, while also chipping in with six assists.

Yet after winning the league, he still only started three of England’s seven games on their run to the Euros final last summer. Perhaps a move back to England was needed to get him firmly back into Southgate’s thoughts.

Thriving at Newcastle 

Trippier’s £12m move to Newcastle in January left some fans sceptical. Was he leaving a Champions League club to join the Magpies purely for money, or did he genuinely think it was the best move for his career?

The experienced full-back has gone some way to answering his doubters. In his third league game for Eddie Howe’s side, he fired home a free-kick to seal a 3-1 win against Everton, and he repeated the trick five days later in a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa.

In the latter match, he fractured his foot and subsequently missed the majority of the rest of the season, but he had set Newcastle on their way to safety after a dismal start to the campaign, and the North-East club eventually avoided relegation with something to spare.

Trippier has found his best form at Newcastle this season under manager Eddie Howe

Trippier has found his best form at Newcastle this season under manager Eddie Howe

His delivery into the box from out wide for the Magpies has been very impressive

His delivery into the box from out wide for the Magpies has been very impressive

Trippier has picked up where he left off before his foot injury this term, leading Newcastle’s charge up the table, and his numbers make for impressive reading.

According to Opta, he has created more chances (31) than Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes (29 each) in the Premier League, while Tottenham’s Ivan Perisic (15) is the only player in the top-flight to have made more successful open play crosses than Trippier (14).

Trippier has three goal contributions to his name (one goal, two assists) – no defender has more.

Trippier has created more chances than Mohamed Salah this season

He has also trumped Bruno Fernandes when it comes to chances created

Trippier has created more chances than Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes this season

Newcastle have also kept six clean sheets in their 13 matches and conceded the fewest goals in the league with Trippier in their backline.

These statistics highlight how Trippier has developed into a well-rounded full-back who Southgate can no longer ignore when it comes to picking his starting XI in Qatar.

What can Trippier offer at the World Cup? 

Trippier did not play a single minute for England during the last international break, but the state of play has changed since then.

Kyle Walker has had to undergo groin surgery and is now facing a race against time to make Qatar, plus Reece James has picked up a knee injury that could see him ruled out of the World Cup altogether.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold struggling for form at Liverpool, the door is open for Trippier to make the right wing-back position his own for England, and his imperious form at Newcastle means he is now the favourite to get the nod to play against Iran.

Gareth Southgate is sweating on the fitness of defensive duo Kyle Walker and Reece James

Gareth Southgate is sweating on the fitness of defensive duo Kyle Walker and Reece James

At the last World Cup, Trippier’s set-pieces were a nightmare for opposition defences to handle. He scored directly from a free-kick in the semi-final, and set up John Stones with a pinpoint corner against Panama in the group stages.

England took advantage of dead-ball situations, and they will likely be relying on this method heavily again in Qatar.

But Trippier is far from just a one-trick pony. As his statistics indicate, his delivery from open play is only improving as he is consistently picking out a team-mate with his crosses from out wide.

Southgate now looks set to rely on Trippier to play at right wing-back at the Word Cup

Southgate now looks set to rely on Trippier to play at right wing-back at the Word Cup

Having played alongside Harry Kane for a number of years at Spurs, Trippier understands the areas that the forward will be attacking, and the pair could form a lethal partnership at the World Cup.

Being without Walker and James is far from ideal for Southgate, and he will hope that one or both of them can still make the plane to play some part in the tournament.

But Trippier is playing better than ever, and his vision on the ball could prove to be a real asset for the Three Lions. Southgate has every reason to believe Trippier can fill the void left behind by Walker and James, and star at yet another major tournament. 

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