KIERAN TRIPPIER has told his Newcastle United team-mates to refocus on the remainder of the season in the wake of their Carabao Cup success.
Eddie Howe’s side finally ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy when they beat Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
Their victory was accompanied by emotional scenes both in London and back in the North-East, where thousands of supporters headed to St James’ Park to celebrate through the night.
Trippier and his team-mates have achieved legendary status thanks to their trophy win, and Howe encouraged his players to enjoy themselves on Sunday evening. While Newcastle’s international players have now headed off to link up with their respective national teams, the club’s non-internationals will spent part of the next fortnight on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
When the squad reconvenes at the end of the month, there will be ten more Premier League games to play, with Newcastle currently sitting in sixth position in the table. A top-four finish would guarantee a return to the Champions League, and Trippier claims that has to be the primary focus for the remainder of the campaign.
“I feel like myself, the leadership group, will keep everybody level-headed,” said the full-back, who played a crucial role in Sunday’s success as he successfully shackled Luis Diaz on the left of the Liverpool attack. “We’ll enjoy the occasion now because it’s an international break, but the most important thing is we’ve got ten games left and we want to finish in the top four.
“We’ll enjoy it, and we go into the international break now, but we’ve got a big run-in ahead because we want to finish in the top four.”
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When Trippier moved to Newcastle from Atletico Madrid, he joined a club that was battling for Premier League survival towards the foot of the table.
Survival was the first aim, with the following season’s qualification for the Champions League representing another massive step forward. Winning a trophy is another important staging post in Newcastle’s development, with Trippier delighted with the way in which the club is continuing to progress.
“It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years since the takeover happened, and as I said when I first signed, it’s about building, taking your time, step by step,” he said. “We’ve bounced back from the hurt of two years ago.
“The club has come so far in a short period of time. As I’ve said many times, people will talk about the Premier League, the Champions League, but it’s all about building.”
Newcastle learned the lessons from 2023, when they lost in the Carabao Cup final to Manchester United, with a different approach paying dividends two years on.
“The first time (in the final) was too emotional,” said Trippier. “I think it’s right to say that for the players, the club. This time around we learned from the mistakes we made in terms of hotels, tickets…there were so many factors and it saps it out of you.
“We were calmer before this final, more relaxed. Everything was well organised, and that can play a big part in the result.”
