What got into Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier vs. Madrid?
By Gary Pearson
Kieran Trippier enjoyed his best 90 minutes in a Spurs shirt against Real Madrid on Wednesday, the tattooed squire from Bury resembling a man possessed.
Trippier had a solid spell as Tottenham’s first choice right back when Kyle Walker was absent for extended periods last season. But he didn’t appear to have the world-beating qualities on display against the Champions League holders.
Plagued by inconsistency in the current campaign, the 27-year-old has endured a season full of peaks and troughs.
At over 36,000 feet below sea level, the Mariana Trench – Earth’s lowest known natural point – is where you’ll find the highlight reel of Trippier’s worst moment this season.
Only for context do I dare dig up the dark moment. Inexplicably, Trippier was caught up field and out of position against Burnley at Wembley with Spurs leading 1-0 deep into injury time. Apologies in advance if this dredges up a memory you’d hope would never resurface.
Robbie Brady played Chris Wood through on goal, whose resulting finish in the 92nd minute magnified Trippier’s moment of madness. I’m not saying that 30-second span is the reason Mauricio Pochettino signed Serge Aurier from PSG, as that would be entirely to harsh. But it certainly didn’t dissuade the gaffer from pulling the transfer trigger.
Fast forward to Wednesday night under Wembley’s bright lights. If you watched the match, which, unless your first child was being born or you had a Tinder date lined up with Charlotte Mckinney (look her up if you haven’t already), you witnessed a Trippier transformation almost beyond comprehension.
Whether he was the man of the match is still up for debate, the uncertainty only questioned due to Dele Alli’s superhero-like performance on his return to European football. Regardless of whether he was Spurs top dog, Trippier firmly took his place beside Alli in the lead pack.
He dominated the matchup with Marcelo, a seasoned veteran and venerated left back who has won every trophy available in Spanish club football. And then there are his wonder-crosses. Anyone who has played football will tell you how difficult it is to knock an accurate ball into the box first time after himself receiving a long, diagonal ball. But Trippier pulled the technique off twice in short succession, the second of which leading to Alli’s opener.
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Trippier’s first outrageous volley cross of the match was lashed across the face of goal, which Alli would have tapped in had he not checked his run. Supplementing his pinpoint crosses, Trippier was vibrant, confident and spot on with his decision-making.
It’s the kind of performance that makes the footballing world take notice. World-class outings on the biggest stage like the one can have a remarkable positive effect on a player’s psyche and, with a bit of fortune, has the power to springboard Trippier’s career into an unrecognizable stratosphere.