Liverpool will come up against a Newcastle side bereft of form and confidence on New Year’s Day, with Kieran Trippier admitting his “standards have dropped.”
The first game of 2024 for Liverpool sees the arrival of Newcastle to Anfield, with the two sides in wildly contrasting form.
While the Reds have lost just once in their last 11 games – the 2-1 dead-rubber defeat at Union SG – winning seven, Newcastle have lost six of their last seven.
That continued on Boxing Day with a 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest, and with injuries mounting, the form of many of Eddie Howe’s key players has come into question.
Trippier is chief among those, with the right-back costing his side with high-profile errors in recent weeks – and against Forest made the most inaccurate crosses (16) of any player in a Premier League game this season, per WhoScored.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after that defeat, Trippier admitted his own “standards have dropped” in line with the rest of the team.
“Obviously it’s been a challenge for the team this season. Playing three games a week, week after week, some players are new to that,” he said.
“Sometimes in football where you don’t mean it, like myself, my standards have dropped.
“I’m old enough and experienced enough now to talk about my own performances, they’ve been nowhere near the standards that I’ve set recently.
“But I don’t shy away from it. I’ve had a lot of setbacks in my career and this is another one where I just need to keep going, keep believing. I’ve always got that belief to bounce back.”
Newcastle are unlikely to be relishing their next chance to do so being away to Liverpool, who already inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Howe’s side at St James’ Park in August.
Trippier has urged his team-mates to rally after their latest loss, however.
“The most important thing now is we regroup, we stick together,” he continued.
“We can’t listen to the outside noise. We believe in each other as a group and now we have to start the second half of the season strong.”
Newcastle are without Nick Pope (shoulder), Harvey Barnes (foot), Sandro Tonali (ban), Joe Willock (heel), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Elliot Anderson (back), Javi Manquillo (groin), Matt Targett (thigh) and Jamaal Lascelles (thigh) on New Year’s Day.
