Kieran Trippier has promised his Newcastle United side will adopt more of what Erik ten Hag called 'annoying' tactics in Sunday afternoon's Carabao Cup final - insisting game-management is a hallmark of successful teams.
Newcastle will meet United at Wembley to fight for the first available trophy of the season, with Ten Hag aiming to fulfil one of his major promises in bringing silverware back to Old Trafford. It's been six years since the Reds brought the Europa League trophy back from Stockholm, but the Magpies have not lifted a trophy since 1955 and will do anything to end that drought.
For Ten Hag, that is likely to include some element of game-management, with the United boss questioning Newcastle's 'annoying' tactics on Friday. He said: "For instance, so if you see from the FA, the referees want to play an effective time. They have the lowest in the league and they are quite successful with it. So it's up to us that we get speed in the game and we are also then dependent on the refereeing as well."
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Newcastle games see the ball in play for an average of just 51 minutes and 47 seconds this season - second only to Leeds, who are often the victims of game-management rather than the instigators - but Trippier insists his side are merely managing momentum as any top side would do.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion," Trippier told the Daily Mail. "But I have experienced it a lot in Spain. It's about knowing when to slow a game down. If the opposition are having more of the ball and are on top, of course you've got to kill the game. You're not going to take a quick throw-in and say, 'Carry on'. You have to manage the game.
"Some teams are not happy with us this season, but it's about being clever in that moment, about using your experience. Opposition fans are not going to like it either, because it's against their team. But as a neutral, I think it's good to see. I don't see why everyone's kicking off about it, its good!"
Having spent three seasons in Spain with Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, Trippier will be all to familiar with such tactics, and the right-back has promised that it will be more of the same come 4.30pm.
"Of course we will," he added when asked if Newcastle will employ similar tricks. "You've got to have that mentality. If you want to win, if you want to be successful, you have to be cute in every single game.
"You look at teams like Real Madrid and how successful they have been, and they've had players like Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, and they were the best at it. If you want to be successful, you have to manage the game well, and at the right time."
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