Former Newcastle United defender Stuart Pearce claims he felt obliged to stop and text Gareth Southgate after watching Kieran Trippier in action against Chelsea. The Magpies defender has been one of the standout performers since arriving in January and has played a huge part in the St. James' Park transformation.
The Magpies consolidated their top-four berth heading into the winter break for Qatar with a win over Graham Potter's side. Pearce claims the performance against Chelsea was the best he's seen from Trippier.
“I have to mention Trippier,” Pearce told talkSPORT. “I was at Newcastle vs Chelsea. It was probably the best I’ve ever seen him play. “I’ve never done this before. I got in my car on the way home, stopped for a coffee, and felt obliged to text Gareth [Southgate] about how well Trippier played.
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“We’re on the verge of a World Cup. We’re a week away. I have no vested interest in getting Trippier in the team. He was that good and the performance was that good. There are Kyle Walker injury doubts in that position.
“I thought if Gareth wasn’t at the game, I could be another set of eyes just to say, ‘Wow’. I was so impressed with him. His defensive work was brilliant. His covering positions were brilliant. Going forward, he was magnificent. His all-round game was exceptional in a brilliant team performance.”
“Yes, you do. 100 per cent," said Pearce when asked if you lose some of Trippier's effectiveness when playing him at left-back rather than his preferred position. “It doesn’t come naturally to surge down on the outside and get crosses in without breaking stride.
“If I tried to play on the right, you have to find a way of impacting the game by coming inside, like [Joao] Cancelo does at Man City. Otherwise, you’re not getting a great deal on the outside. I think Trippier does a reasonable job on the left, but for me, I’d prefer him at right-back.”
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