Newcastle's Kieran Trippier on the prospect of playing PSG in the UEFA Champions League
Category
đ„
SportsTranscript
00:00 - Thank you. - This is Tony, the translator.
00:02 - Hi. - Good afternoon.
00:04 OK, we'll start with Keith when you're ready.
00:21 Is this Austin?
00:22 I want to say Austin.
00:24 Yeah, nice.
00:27 Thank you.
00:34 - How are you doing? - I'm good.
00:36 How does it feel to be the man with probably the toughest task in football,
00:43 tomorrow night, trying to stop Billy and Madden?
00:45 This is football.
00:47 These are the levels you want to play at.
00:50 Playing in the Champions League, playing against the best players, the best teams.
00:53 But you know Paris have got unbelievable players in the team,
00:57 so of course we need to recognise that Mbappé is one of the best players in the world,
01:01 but they've got quality all over the pitch.
01:03 We can't be too fixed on them. We need to play our way.
01:10 Because on our day, I think we can hurt anyone.
01:14 How do you feel that you can't face one of the best players in the world, Mbappé, tomorrow?
01:22 This is football. These are the matches you want to play at.
01:27 Playing in the Champions League, playing against the best players, Mbappé.
01:31 Obviously it's going to be tough, but you can't think that Mbappé is the only one.
01:37 They've got a lot of good players, they've got quality all over the pitch.
01:43 But yes, I'm very happy to play this match.
01:47 We're going to have a great time, obviously.
01:49 What's your experience against Mbappé?
01:53 Have you played against him before? Have you played on the same side?
01:57 Not on the same team, but on the same side of the country against him before?
02:01 Yes, I played against him. I think it might have been his debut game for Monaco when I was at Tottenham.
02:09 Then I played against him for England on my debut, quite a few years ago.
02:15 But listen, he's a fantastic player.
02:19 Like I said before, you want to play against the best players in the world.
02:23 Tomorrow will be a great occasion for everybody associated with the club,
02:27 and a game that we feel that we can win.
02:30 [inaudible]
02:58 Hi, Kieran. Do you think Kylian Mbappé is the best player in the world at the minute?
03:02 And does that mean there's been special things being done behind the scenes before the game to combat him?
03:08 Yes, I think he's certainly one of the best players in the world.
03:11 The past few years he's been incredible.
03:14 But as we do every single game, if it's Burnley, if it's Paris, if it's West Ham on Sunday,
03:20 we always prepare how we can win the game, how we can hurt the opposition.
03:24 So tomorrow's no different because it's a Champions League game.
03:28 You've always got to respect your opposition.
03:30 But we always look to try and find a way to win.
03:34 [inaudible]
04:02 But we prepare for tomorrow, like we did for Burnley on Saturday,
04:08 like we prepare for the game against West Ham.
04:11 We prepare to try and hurt our opponents, to make life difficult for them.
04:16 And that doesn't change when we play in England, in the Premier League or in the Champions League.
04:21 That's our goal.
04:22 And when you come up against somebody as good as Kylian,
04:25 does it inspire you rather than maybe intimidate you or the team?
04:30 Yeah, I think it's, for me personally, it's a challenge that I'm ready for.
04:35 You know, I've played against many good players, many good wingers in my career.
04:40 And tomorrow's going to be no different.
04:42 As I said before, Champions League is where I want to play.
04:46 And you're going to play against the best wingers in the world.
04:49 So, again, it's a challenge that I'm ready for.
04:53 [inaudible]
05:22 [inaudible]
05:30 Scott, and then we've got Kieran in the corner.
05:33 Kieran, hiya.
05:35 You say that the Champions League is where you want to play.
05:37 And I know when you moved to Newcastle, you were sold on the project and everything like that.
05:41 But, I mean, was there a bit of you that did wonder if your chances of playing at this very, very highest level
05:48 had kind of gone then because it felt an awfully long way away when you were joining a club
05:52 that were obviously in the bottom three and that was the task that you initially came for?
05:56 Yeah, definitely.
05:58 I think when I first signed, my thought process was my family.
06:03 I've explained that many times.
06:05 And I look back now thinking with huge pride with the big steps we took in a short period of time.
06:14 So, I never thought that we'd be back in the Champions League so quickly.
06:17 But I think we've earned the right to be in this position that we're in today.
06:20 So, yeah, everyone's done unbelievable from the manager, the owners with the direction they want to go in.
06:28 And most importantly, the players that were here before the takeover happened because they've done unbelievable.
06:36 But I imagine that when you arrived, you presented the project, the idea was to be able to play in the Champions League.
06:46 But I imagine that at the time you weren't very sure, because it seemed like a goal if you will.
06:53 And yet, you're here now.
06:58 Did you ever think about that?
07:01 At the time, when I decided to come here, I said that it was to come here with my family.
07:08 And I'm very proud of what we've done so far.
07:11 We've done that very quickly, I didn't imagine it would happen so quickly.
07:18 But we're here now because we've earned it.
07:21 Not just the players, but the coach, the staff, the owners.
07:25 And everyone has worked very hard to be able to play this match.
07:31 I repeat, to be able to play this match.
07:34 CiarĂĄn, then Dom.
07:35 There's been some special nights in this stadium, in this competition against Barcelona and Juventus in the past.
07:41 Has the manager mentioned that to you? And does that inspire you to believe anything is possible tomorrow night?
07:46 I think all the Jordi boys in our team have mentioned that quite a lot of times, to be honest.
07:51 There's been so many special nights here.
07:56 It's been a long time since the club's been in the Champions League.
07:59 So I think it's brilliant for the people in the city, everybody connected with the club.
08:06 That we're back in the Champions League.
08:07 So I think tomorrow night is going to be a very special occasion for everybody involved with the club.
08:12 There have been some exceptional nights in Europe in the past.
08:18 The matches against Barca, Juventus.
08:22 Has the coach mentioned that to you?
08:24 But it's mainly the guys, my teammates, Jordi, the people here, the locals who have spoken to me about these matches.
08:33 And we've won a lot, not just in Europe.
08:36 But it's been a long time since we've played in Europe.
08:41 So tomorrow night is going to be a very special occasion for the city, for everyone.
08:47 Just on a personal level, Kieran.
08:50 After four assists in your last two games, a run of consecutive clean sheets.
08:54 Heading into this game, do you feel as though you're still in the form of your career?
08:58 Yeah, throughout my career I've always had challenges, I've always had setbacks.
09:04 I feel like I always come back and bounce back.
09:09 But yeah, I feel like I'm in good form personally and as a collective, as a team, we're in good form.
09:16 But we know we're up against a good side in Paris, who have got unbelievable players, a very good coach.
09:23 And it's another challenge that we're ready for.
09:26 Playing in the Champions League is where we want to be.
09:30 Given the results you've been able to achieve, you're obviously in very good form.
09:39 You're playing very well at the moment, and so is the team.
09:42 In the past, I've faced challenges, I've had setbacks, I've had setbacks.
09:50 But it's true that now I'm playing fairly well.
09:53 I'm in good form, just like the team.
09:56 But we know that tomorrow we're up against a very good team, with a very good coach and players.
10:01 But again, these are games we want to play.
10:05 Hi Kieran, two quick questions.
10:07 Has your little boy mentioned killing Mbappé's name as much as we have?
10:10 He did, and I was having a little bit of a banter with him last night.
10:14 He wanted to walk out with him instead of me, so it's something I wasn't really happy with.
10:19 He's obsessed with Mbappé, always watching his clips on YouTube and stuff.
10:26 I said to him, 'If you get to walk out with him, don't look at me in the tunnel.'
10:31 And go on.
10:32 I was wondering if your little boy has mentioned Mbappé's name as much as we have.
10:39 He said, 'Yes, absolutely.'
10:42 Because he's a fan of Mbappé and watches his videos on YouTube.
10:46 He said that tomorrow he'd rather walk out of the tunnel with Mbappé, or with me.
10:51 I said, 'If he does that, it's very important that he doesn't look at me when we walk out of the tunnel.'
10:58 You may be obsessed with Mbappé, but Mbappé's name wasn't in the sky last night.
11:01 Did you and your boy get to see that?
11:03 Honestly, where we live we couldn't see it, but we've seen it on social media.
11:09 Again, like I said before, for the supporters, for everybody connected with the club,
11:15 it's a special feeling.
11:17 Every time I'm taking my kids to school, everybody's buzzing, all the kids' parents.
11:24 So, there's a great feeling around the club right now and may that continue.
11:29 Obviously, we didn't see Mbappé's name in the sky last night.
11:35 Because he was here last night, he was in the crowd, and he was saying his name to the players.
11:39 So, did you see your own name?
11:41 Unfortunately, no, I didn't see it because we couldn't see it.
11:44 But I must say that I understand that there's such a state of excitement, enthusiasm,
11:50 all over the city right now.
11:52 I'm taking my kids to school, I'm talking to the parents, I'm talking to the kids.
11:57 I know that everybody is very happy and anxious to see this match.
12:02 Louise, and then we'll wrap up with Lee.
12:04 Hi, Kieran. How important do you think the first goal is going to be?
12:09 And is it vital that you're the team that scores it if you're going to win?
12:12 I hope we get the first goal.
12:14 Of course, it's crucial.
12:18 We're playing at home in so long and we want to put on a good performance.
12:24 So, as soon as the whistle goes, we're going to treat it as any other game.
12:29 We're going to give our all and try and go after Paris.
12:34 And, of course, try and get the three points, which is the most important thing.
12:37 How important is it for you to score the first goal tomorrow?
12:41 Do you think it's important?
12:43 Yes, absolutely. I hope it's going to be us that score it.
12:45 But the important thing is that tomorrow we're going to play.
12:50 We're going to try to play well, to play our game, as we always do.
12:56 We're going to play, we're going to attack and we're going to catch up.
12:59 And we hope we get a good result at home tomorrow.
13:05 We've just got Lee Ryder in the corner.
13:08 Kieran, you'll obviously be in the final of this competition.
13:15 How much of a buzz is it when you walk out and you do hear that Champions League music?
13:21 There's a lot of excitement around it for you personally.
13:24 Yes, I've been lucky enough to play in the competition with three different teams now.
13:29 To reach a final, as you said, is a great moment for me, of course it is.
13:35 But to play in the Champions League for this club, it's not been in the Champions League for 20 plus years.
13:41 So it's always an extra special feeling.
13:44 And, again, another one that we're excited about.
13:48 The whole city is buzzing for the game tomorrow.
13:51 So hopefully we can put on a performance and give a good account of ourselves to get the three points.
13:56 You've already played in the Champions League final.
14:01 What were your emotions when you walked out, when you heard the music, the fans, etc.?
14:10 I was lucky because I played for three different teams in the Champions League.
14:15 And I was also lucky to play in the final, which was a fantastic moment.
14:20 But to play tomorrow in front of our fans for the first time in 20 years, in a Champions League match,
14:29 it's something very special.
14:32 It's an occasion that excites everyone, the players, the fans, the city.
14:40 I hope we're going to be at the heart of it tomorrow and play very well and win the three points.
14:45 We have time for one more question, if there's any more.
14:48 Thank you.
14:50 The team feels like all our rookies in this competition at this level.
14:54 What advice can you give them as to your experience, how to stay calm, how to get on the ball, play their own game?
15:00 Because it's quite a daunting prospect.
15:03 I think it was important that they had the first game away from home at the San Siro.
15:07 I think it was a great experience for the players who have never been in the competition before.
15:13 You're playing at the elite level and against the best teams in Europe.
15:17 I think it's just play our way.
15:20 There's no point in changing the way you play.
15:23 Enjoy the occasion most importantly.
15:27 The most important thing is that everyone's relaxed, everyone's calm about the game tomorrow.
15:32 It's excitement more than anything.
15:35 That's the most important thing.
15:37 We've got to enjoy it, we've got to be excited about the game and get the win, hopefully.
15:43 You're playing tomorrow against the best of your players, who have never played in the league before.
15:49 What can you say as a player with a lot of experience?
15:53 What do you say to your team to help them stay calm and play their game?
16:01 I think it was good to play the first game in Italy at the San Siro.
16:08 It was a great experience.
16:10 But you have to understand that we're playing at the elite level, the highest level possible.
16:16 The most important thing is to play our game.
16:20 There's no point in changing the way you play.
16:22 You have to play the way you want to play.
16:24 And enjoy the game, I think.
16:27 Stay calm.
16:29 We're very excited to play this game.
16:31 And you have to enjoy it and play the way you know how to play.
16:35 The players can swap shirts when you're playing huge teams and big names.
16:40 Is that going to be allowed tomorrow?
16:42 Because you don't look like tourists if you have to have Mbappé's shirt at the end of a game.
16:46 Would you do that in the quiet of the dressing room or on the pitch?
16:49 I'm going to be honest, that's not crossed my mind.
16:53 My thought process is to win the game.
16:56 Of course, it's Mbappé, everybody's going to be wanting his shirt, that's normal.
17:01 But for me, I want the three points.
17:04 We'll see what happens after the game.
17:07 Obviously, you're used to swap shirts.
17:11 After a game, you're going to be on the pitch.
17:14 Are you going to do that tomorrow?
17:16 Because sometimes you look like tourists because everybody wants Mbappé's shirt.
17:23 But I have to say that I didn't even think about it.
17:26 I just thought about how we're going to win the game tomorrow.
17:31 Obviously, Mbappé is a big name.
17:37 I understand that people are going to be wanting his shirt.
17:39 But for me, it's not his shirt that interests me.
17:41 I'm going to win the game tomorrow, then we'll see what happens.
17:44 Thank you very much, everyone.
17:46 Thank you.
17:47 Thank you.
17:48 Thank you.
17:49 Thank you.
17:52 >> All right, thank you, Mr. Chairman.