Strengths and Weaknesses of Tottenham's Summer Signing Kieran Trippier

Tottenham's signing of Kieran Trippier divided their supporters. Some thought that the acquisition of a new right-back solved a problem that did not exist, perhaps even creating one in the form of selection headaches for coach Mauricio Pochettino. 

Others knew better. 

Kyle Walker's persistent injury troubles have made him an unreliable first-choice full-back while emergency options like Eric Dier and Vlad Chiriches lack the learned skills of a natural wide defender. 

One of Burnley's stars, Trippier will push Walker to improve and certainly be an able understudy. 

Having been a regular for one of the Premier League's least heralded sides, Trippier was able to fly somewhat under the radar. His attributes are less well known than those of many players of comparable quality. 

Strength: Crossing

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The one thing that even the most casual fans of the Premier League know about Trippier is that he is an excellent crosser of the ball. 

The extent of his crossing ability though, is certainly worth examining. 

Last season, Trippier averaged more accurate crosses than each of Kyle Walker, DeAndre Yedlin, Eric Dier and Vlad Chiriches combined, according to WhoScored.com. 

By the end of April, Trippier had already attempted more than 300 crosses, including 13 in a single match against Leicester City. 

Essentially, Trippier is an excellent crosser of the ball. 

As Danny Rose's continuing development as an attacking threat can demonstrate, Pochettino requires his full-backs to contribute with the ball at their feet. 

Trippier is fully equipped to fit this style. 

Weakness: Goals

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If Trippier's crossing meshes perfectly with expectations in Pochettino's system, his goal-scoring exploits leave a lot to be desired. 

He managed just four goals in 145 games for Burnley. When taking into consideration the low level at which a lot of those appearances were accrued, it is a particularly poor return for a player supposed to be capable of dominating his flank. 

Again, Danny Rose serves as the archetypal Pochettino full-back. He scored three goals in 28 league games last season as he continued to emerge as a genuine threat on the left. 

That must be the goal for Trippier in his first season at White Hart Lane. 

If he can develop a goal threat, he will have rounded off the major weakness in his game from an attacking standpoint. 

Strength: Positioning

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Kieran Trippier's defensive positioning is a genuine improvement over that of Walker and far beyond that of Yedlin. 

Walker is often unfairly criticised for his defensive positioning but Trippier is a cut above. 

His ability to perceive what the opposition is attempting to do allows him to break down those attacks before they get out of hand. 

He moves swiftly in from his position out wide when necessary in order to clean up behind his centre-backs. 

At Turf Moor he had developed a keen understanding with his defence and his ability to snaffle up long balls from the opposition defence was particularly important. It freed his central defenders up to deal with more direct attacks. 

This quality contributed to his excellent 2.2 interceptions per game. (via WhoScored)

Weakness: Tackling

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Burnley's defence was exposed to opposition attacks at a greater rate than most other Premier League sides last season. 

Despite that, Kieran Trippier made fewer tackles than any of Tottenham's motley crew of right-backs. 

Fewer than two tackles per game is surprisingly low and reflective of a reticence on Trippier's part to leave his feet. 

This instinct is generally a good one for defenders to possess but does represent a concern for Pochettino. 

Trippier needs to demonstrate his ability to win the ball back with his strength when necessary. 

As pointed out by @Spurs_US, Trippier was involved in the incident that ended Kyle Walker's season in 2014-15. 

"

Awkward. via @redditcoys: Pic of Kieran Trippier's tackle on Kyle Walker that ended his season. #CLARETS #THFC pic.twitter.com/nFGaQ1mqjR

— Tottenham Hotspur US (@Spurs_US) June 17, 2015"

This is one area where the ex-Claret can improve. 

Strength: Mentality

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Trippier is bursting with confidence, loves to take on his man with the ball at his feet and knows that he's more than good enough to play for Spurs. 

That mental strength is vital to ensuring that the step up from Burnley to north London is a successful one. 

Plenty of good players have struggled with adjusting to increased expectations but Trippier's self-assuredness seems likely to ensure that he is not one of them. 

Having developed into a star attacking player with one of the league's minnows, Trippier has the mental fortitude required to blossom at the next level. 

That mental strength translates to his ability to avoid costly lapses in concentration. 

Last season, Trippier made just three errors resulting in opposition shots on goal, according to Squawka.com. 

By comparison, Federico Fazio and Eric Dier each made four despite playing far fewer minutes. 

Weakness: Big-Match Experience

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Despite being just 24 years old, Kieran Trippier has already made more than 200 professional appearances. 

After leaving Man City, he fought his way into Burnley's first team and became a key member of their promotion-chasing side before reaching the top flight. 

Trippier has a vast amount of football-league experience and is now also a Premier League veteran. 

Unfortunately for Spurs, he has no experience of playing in the biggest matches. 

With Spurs' gaze firmly fixed on the Champions League places next season, they will need their players to step up on the biggest occasions. 

They have one of the youngest squads in England and their first team is largely lacking any experience of winning things or being the best. 

Trippier's arrival will boost Spurs in many ways but he will be unable to help his new team develop the mentality that they'll need to reach Europe's top table this season because he has so little experience himself. 

While he has proven to be a hardy campaigner, there is no certainty that he will be among those to stand up and be counted when the season gets tough. 

Of course, there is no saying that he will wilt under the pressure either, only time will tell.