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Tottenham miracle: This Spurs star is Pochettino’s biggest accomplishment

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Dele Alli celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Harry Winks and Kieran Trippier of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium on November 1, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Dele Alli celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Harry Winks and Kieran Trippier of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium on November 1, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Kieran Trippier is the latest Tottenham miracle

Mauricio Pochettino has drastically improved the careers of quite a few stars during his tenure at Tottenham. His biggest miracle of all is turning Kieran Trippier into arguably the top right back in England.

It’s not that Trippier was a bad player when he arrived from Burnley, but few could have seen this sort of transformation coming. The purchase was praised at the time because he looked to be an above average backup for Kyle Walker. Now, the two are locked in a fierce battle to become Gareth Southgate’s first choice in advance of Russia 2018.

Some might view the term miraculous as hyperbole when it comes to Trippier’s career growth, but I think it’s quite fitting. We aren’t talking about a football player with a tremendous amount of athleticism. Trippier has grown under Pochettino in an entirely different manner than most of the gaffer’s pupils.

Contrast Trippier’s development with that of fullbacks Danny Rose and Kyle Walker. Both players saw their stock rise significantly under Pochettino’s watchful eye. The Spurs manager taught both players to harness their significant physical gifts. Each of them learned to channel their pace and attacking instincts under Pochettino’s tutelage. For Rose and Walker, it was a matter of teaching them to take advantage of their immense physical talents.

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Trippier does not possess world-class athleticism by any stretch of the imagination. For me, he’s an average Premier League athlete at best. Every time he is included in the starting XI against a really pacy winger I cringe. I wonder if this will be the match he really gets burned by his lack of foot speed.

It never seems to happen though. Pochettino has managed to help Trippier improve his game in an entirely different manner. Instead of teaching him to channel his athleticism, he’s taught the former Burnley star to read the game like a book. Trippier has become so adept at positioning himself to perfection that his lack of athleticism rarely shows up on the pitch.

Of course, Pochettino also deserves credit for fine tuning Trippier’s offensive game. He’s always been a good crosser of the ball, but even that part of his game has been maximized at Tottenham. At Burnley he fired repeated crosses into the box and hoped for the best. At Spurs, Trippier surgically strikes the ball into the danger area with unparalleled accuracy.

Next: Trippier was MOTM against Real Madrid

The emergence of Harry Kane and Dele Alli will always get the most attention, but Kieran Trippier’s ascendancy is Pochettino’s greatest accomplishment. He’s turned a perfectly average Premier League regular into a possible England starter. He really is magic you know.

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