How Newcastle United’s ‘most influential’ player made things ‘easy’ for Leeds United

It has been almost exactly a year since Trippier got the Newcastle takeover transfer ball rolling when he decided to swap Champions League football at Atletico Madrid for a relegation battle on Tyneside. The England right-back’s impact was virtually instant as he scored twice in his first four Premier League matches to help The Magpies climb out of the relegation zone within a month of his arrival.

Despite a major injury blow with a fractured metatarsal, Trippier has returned even stronger with his influence on Eddie Howe's side increasing over the course of the 2022-23 campaign so far. Along with Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff, the 32-year-old is one of only three United players to have featured in every competitive game for the club so far this season.

With Newcastle heading into 2023 chasing Champions League football, Trippier led the side out at St James's Park against Leeds United seeking a seventh straight Premier League win. But it wasn’t to be for The Magpies as Leeds frustrated the home side and held out for a goalless draw.

On a positive note, it was a 12th game unbeaten for Newcastle in the Premier League, a club record. It was also a fifth clean sheet in a row in all competitions.

Given Newcastle’s chances and dominance in the game, it will be viewed as two points dropped for Howe’s side. During the match, Trippier saw plenty of the ball as he registered a staggering 101 touches, 23 more than the next highest player Bruno Guimaraes.

With that he attempted 19 crosses, five of which were successful but none led to a goal. In fact, Trippier was the only Newcastle player to successfully complete a cross in the match. On another day he could have had a couple of assists, but too many were easy for Illan Meslier to collect in the Leeds goal.

Perhaps that was Newcastle’s problem on Saturday afternoon. Trippier’s impact on the way Newcastle play is evident in every game he plays.

The England right-back has registered six assists for Newcastle this season, more than any other player. He has also touched the ball 1,370 times in the Premier League this season, over 350 touches more than any other Newcastle player.

But if opposing teams find a way to limit Trippier and he isn’t able to produce the killer pass, cross or free-kick, Newcastle’s ability to create chances is significantly hindered. With the 32-year-old’s service inconsistent and Newcastle's finishing poor against Leeds, a frustrating New Year’s Eve afternoon unfolded.

Moving forward, it’s important Newcastle find other ways to hurt the opposition without having to rely heavily on the creativity of Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes in particular. Without those two in the side and performing, things can become laboured.

And there’s a risk Newcastle could be without Trippier in the near future after he picked up a booking against Leeds. Should he pick up his fifth Premier League yellow card against Arsenal or Fulham, he will serve a one-match suspension.

Trippier has been remarkably consistent since signing for Newcastle, but he is going to have off days and miss matches, and Howe needs to be ready to tackle such situations.