Kieran Trippier says Spain is the ‘test England need’ after reaching semi-finals of World Cup 2018

Tough test | Kieran Trippier says Spain are the test England needed following their World Cup success
Getty Images
James Olley5 September 2018

Kieran Trippier has claimed the World Cup brought “the nation and the team back” but believes they must beat Spain to take their game to the next level.

Gareth Southgate’s squad are this week preparing for their first outing since reaching the semi-finals in Russia after reconvening at the FA’s St George’s Park base ahead of their inaugural Uefa Nations League match against Spain on Saturday.

Wembley is almost sold out for the match, with fans relishing the chance to see the players who triggered euphoric summer scenes across the country - many of which went viral on social media - before an agonising defeat to Croatia.

Memories | Kieran Trippier celebrates his World Cup semi-final goal against Croatia
EPA

Trippier said: “The progress and the journey that we went on was fantastic but obviously we were disappointed to get beaten in the semi-final, given the way we started. But we overcame so many obstacles in that tournament and we have got to be proud of ourselves. The nation and the players are back.

“We wanted to bring the nation back with the team, we wanted to play well. They were all supporting us in numbers, especially at Hyde Park — it was crazy, the video that we saw. We were happy to put a smile on the nation’s face again but we have got another tough task ahead of us and, hopefully, we can make many more memories.”

One of the minor criticisms from the summer was that England did not beat an elite side on their way to the semi-finals, but facing Spain, who suffered last-16 heartache against hosts Russia, gives them the chance to meet that challenge, albeit outside of established tournament football.

Right-back Trippier added: “In the World Cup, you can only play who you are drawn against. Obviously, Spain will be a big test and we want to play the likes of them to show that we are here and we are ready. We know the quality we have got in our dressing room and on our day we can beat anyone.

“You need to beat the best and Spain are one of the best in the world. We are looking forward to it, it’s a new thing that’s going on [the Nations League] and we are ready for Saturday.”

Trippier also insisted Harry Kane is not at risk of fatigue, despite a shortened summer break following the World Cup, where he became the first Englishman to win the Golden Boot since Gary Lineker in 1986.

Kane ended his summer break early to return for Tottenham’s opening game of the new Premier League season at Newcastle, a match in which fellow England international Dele Alli also started but Trippier did not.

“I’m not concerned about Harry,” said Trippier. “He is the first in, last out at training. He recovers well - everyone knows he’s a top professional. I can’t see him slowing down.

No concern | There should be no worries over Harry Kane's fitness, says Kieran Trippier
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

“You see his work-rate for his team-mates in games we’ve played already and I know it’ll be like that for the rest of the season. He’s as fit as anything. I see everyone training and everyone is sharp and ready.

“Coming off the back of the World Cup, it is important you get that rest. Me, personally, I feel good and ready whenever I’m called upon and I know my team-mates at Tottenham and the lads here are feeling fresh and ready to go and looking forward to Saturday.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in