Newcastle were beaten by Manchester United at Wembley in 2023 but bounced back to win the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday
Kieran Trippier says Newcastle have learned to become winners after admitting they were “too emotional” at their last Wembley final.
Trippier admitted Newcastle blew it against Manchester United two years ago when they stayed too close to Wembley, got caught up in the day and ended up losing. But Trippier says this generation of Newcastle players now have the experience and winning mentality which failed even great stars of the past.
Newcastle came so close to winning the title under Kevin Keegan and not even Alan Shearer could end the wait for a trophy. But after 56 years without silverware, the Carabao Cup has made all of Newcastle’s dreams come true and Trippier and Co will go down as club legends.
Newcastle defender Trippier said: “If you look throughout the history of Newcastle … you look at the past players, unbelievable players.
“But again the first time two years ago was too emotional, should I say, and I think it’s right to say for the players, the whole club.
“I’ve played in many finals in my career and when you stay so close to the stadium, the supporters are there and players who have never played in a final before … it’s emotional, it can take a lot out of you, a lot of energy.
“I just think the United one, it was too emotional, that’s the only way I can put it. But in this final, before it was more relaxed, it was more calm. That was the most important thing.
“This time around we learned from the mistakes we made in terms of hotels, tickets … there were so many factors and it saps it out of you. We were more calm before this final, more relaxed.
“Everything was well organised. And that can play a big part in the result. Again, it’s emotional, it takes a lot out of you. Again, we’ve been in that situation before and we knew how to handle it.”
Two years ago they stayed on Wembley’s doorstep at what is supposed to the “lucky hotel.” This time they stayed in Hertfordshire and were ready. They also tried to block out all the calls and texts for cup final tickets.
It paid off and now Trippier insists this is just the start of a new era of success and he warned they must also ensure that they finish in the Champions League places.
Trippier said: “I’m proud, emotional. It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years since the takeover happened and as I said when I first signed, it’s about building, taking your time, step by step and we’ve bounced back from the hurt of two years ago.
“You don’t want to get too carried away. The club has come so far in a short period of time. As I’ve said many times, people will talk about the Premier League, the Champions League etc etc but it’s all about building.
“Enjoy this. The supporters deserve it. And everybody associated with Newcastle deserves it … what doesn’t get mentioned are the people at the training ground, the staff who put everything on. Kitchen ladies, everybody. It’s not just the players.
“It’s everybody associated with Newcastle. We’ll enjoy it. Go into the international break but we’ve got a big run-in ahead because we want to finish in the top four.
“We’ll enjoy the occasion now because it’s an international break but the most important thing is we’ve got ten games left and we want to finish in the top four. I feel like myself, the leadership group will keep everybody level-headed and make sure we finish the season well.”
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