Should Trent Alexander-Arnold Start for England in Midfield?
When it comes to right backs, no team in world football can measure up to the England national team. Even with Chelsea’s Reece James missing out on a call-up after an injury-plagued campaign, Gareth Southgate has selected three right backs in his XI for England’s opening two matches. Kieran Trippier filled in at left back for Luke Shaw, who is still working his way back to full fitness, whilst Kyle Walker started on the right flank.
As for Trent Alexander-Arnold, he has been shoehorned into the England double pivot alongside Declan Rice, although it’s fair to say he hasn’t looked the most convincing. He was pulled in the 69th minute of their 1-0 victory against Serbia before making way for Conor Gallagher for the second straight match — this time in the 54th minute — as England stumbled to a 1-1 draw vs. Denmark.
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The 25-year-old started his youth career as a midfielder and has been playing in the midfield for England in recent games and was also handed the number eight jersey – so it should perhaps come as no surprise that he has operated in the middle of the pitch for England’s opening two matches, as opposed to right back, where he has spent the entirety of his club career at Liverpool.
However, Wayne Rooney was highly critical of Alexander-Arnold’s ability to defend and believes he shouldn’t be anywhere near Southgate’s midfield. He said on The Overlap: “I think he’ll (Southgate) go with Trent. I think he’s probably the most gifted player with the ball at his feet we’ve got.”
“Defensively, he’s all over the place. He can’t defend. I wouldn’t have him anywhere near the middle of the pitch. And I love Trent – on the ball, stuff he can do, no one else can do it.”
The Manchester United legend said Southgate will turn to other options instead of Alexander-Arnold if England were to progress further in the tournament:
“If we go into the quarter-finals and we’re playing France, Trent is not playing in midfield – Gareth would not put Trent in midfield. For me, I don’t think Gareth trusts him enough to play Trent in midfield and he has his doubts the same way I do about playing him in midfield.
That’s when you’re going to see Gallagher or [Kobbie] Mainoo probably. I don’t think he trusts Trent defensively, which he’s right to. But in the games where you’re going to dominate possession, you probably will see him in there.”
The Liverpool vice-captain proved to be effective in the midfield in England’s 3-0 friendly victory over Bosnia:
-Goals scored from open play: one
-Chances created: five
-Chances created during set play: two
-Touches: 122
-Passes completed: 91
-Final-third passes completed: 22
-Forward passes: 26
-Long passes attempted: 12
-Crosses attempted: seven
However, it’s fair to say that the Trent in midfield experiment hasn’t quite panned out so far. England have looked disjointed and inconsistent throughout their first two fixtures, ceding the momentum to the opposition after scoring an early goal and failing to control the proceedings.
Despite boasting the La Liga Player of the Season in Jude Bellingham, the Premier League Player of the Season in Phil Foden, and the European Golden Boot winner in Harry Kane, England haven’t managed to hit the ground running in their first two matches in Germany.
Expectations are high for the Three Lions after their recent trip to the Euros Final in 2021, and on paper, they have nothing to envy the rest of the 23 teams in the competition. However, with Denmark and Slovenia both capable of finishing atop the group, England will be looking to close out their group stage with an improved display on Tuesday as they prepare to take on Slovenia in Cologne.
In order to come away with their first trophy since 1966, England will certainly need to show signs of improvement after a dour start to the tournament. One of the many questions that Southgate and his staff will be attempting to figure out: is Trent Alexander-Arnold’s best position in this England team at right back, or central midfield, or on the bench?
By: Scott Bradley / @ScottBradleyX
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