Having had some time to reflect on the defeat this past Tuesday, it’s intriguing to observe Kieran Trippier’s remarks regarding his recent decline in performance and the challenges faced by Newcastle United throughout December.
In the last seven matches, we’ve suffered six losses, and our vice captain has experienced an abrupt decline in form. The 33-year-old has openly acknowledged that his performance standards have fallen, acknowledging that he has been “nowhere near” his best in the past month or so.
He concedes to having experienced “a lot of setbacks” in his career and is determined not to “shy away” from them. He is taking full responsibility for recent errors, acknowledging another subpar performance in our 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Regarding the team’s downturn, he accepts that we have significantly fallen short of the standards set over the past 18 months. He attributes the challenges to our lack of Champions League experience and difficulties coping with the intense schedule, especially during a period of injuries and fatigue, creating a significant hurdle for the team.
Nevertheless, Trippier asserts that the team is putting forth maximum effort to make a comeback. He reminds fans that in football, fortunes can change rapidly, especially with upcoming fixtures against Liverpool and Sunderland in the first week of January. Here’s his perspective:
“We know we can do better. The standards we set throughout the last 18 months, we have come away from them a little bit in the last few games. My standards have dropped and my own performances have been nowhere near recently. I won’t shy away from it.
“I have had a lot of setbacks in my career and this is just another one where I need to keep going and keep believing. I have always got that belief to bounce back.
“It is a lot of games and being in Europe has been a challenge for the club. The majority of the players are not used to playing in the Champions League and it’s been a challenge for the team.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries, the lads have given everything and worked hard for each other, but we have to start the second half of the season strong.
“Teams always go through moments and we are going through one now, but football changes quickly and for sure this team will bounce back.”
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