Newcastle United

Newcastle United: Neville predicts Trippier to benched vs Senegal

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Pundit Gary Neville has predicted that Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier will be once again on the bench for England’s clash against Senegal.

Speaking on ‘Gary Neville’s World Cup Podcast’, he suggested that Kyle Walker should get the nod to start for the Three Lions in their Round of 16 tie.

Trippier started England’s opening two games against Iran and the USA. However, manager, Gareth Southgate opted to bring in Kyle Walker for the final group-stage clash with Wales.

Neville believes that the next phase will be tougher for England. He expects that Walker will remain in the right back position for England.

He stated: “We’re going into a different phase of the tournament. It’s a big step up against Senegal on Sunday, they’ll be right up for it. They’re a good team, and we’re going to have to be at a higher level than we’ve performed at so far.

“Our lads and Gareth will know that. It’ll be interesting to see how we go, there are some selection issues to look at. Does Mount come in for Jordan Henderson? Who do we play in the wide areas?

“I’m sure Kyle will stay in at right-back, that looks like a collision course waiting to happen, Mbappe versus Walker. We’ve got the perfect right back to be able to deal with Mbappe, if anyone can deal with him.”

TIF’s view on Neville’s comments…

We believe that Walker should remain at right-back for the game with Senegal. His pace will be needed against possibly faster and tougher teams.

Trippier has had a superb season for Newcastle. He’s helped to keep 11 clean sheets in the league and provided two assists for the Magpies. Furthermore, he’s in the top 6% for shot-creating actions and the top 3% for progressive passes (FBref). Demonstrating that he’s a creative threat for the Toon.

However, Walker with his exceptional pace could be the solution to managing speedy customers, such as Kylian Mbappe should England progress the quarter-finals.

Walker has reached a top speed of 37.8 km/h, back in the 2019/20 campaign. He may have lost a bit since then, but there’s no doubt that the right-back still has plenty of pace to offer.

Should the Three Lions defeat Senegal, they will either face France or Poland in the quarter-finals. Should they progress beyond that, Spain, Portugal, Morocco or Switzerland would be their potential opponents.

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