When you want to be the best, and have to beat the best, you have to take a risk or two. When you’re chasing a game, you have to gamble. Which is why Thomas Tuchel’s continued refusal to trust in Trent Alexander-Arnold has moved from the baffling to the damaging. England’s head coach recalled one of the country’s finest ever passers to the squad, gave him the No.2 shirt, and then ignored him, leaving him on the bench even when England were crying out for proper delivery from the right against Spain at Wembley on Saturday.
The case against Alexander-Arnold rests primarily on a few high-profile incidents of him being caught out defensively. You know the story. Failing to deal with Vinicius Jr’s run to score in the 2022 Champions League final proved expensive. Liverpool lost to the Brazilian’s goal for Real Madrid.
You know the narrative. Alexander-Arnold’s hunger to attack and whip in those enticing crosses for strikers inevitably sees him pushed high up the pitch, leaving space behind. We all know the concern. Yet Jurgen Klopp wouldn’t have picked Alexander-Arnold for so long if he felt he was a serial weakness.
HENRY WINTER: Thomas Tuchel should give Trent Alexander-Arnold a chance for England
Alexander-Arnold played 354 times for Liverpool, becoming a champion of England twice and Europe once. He can defend. He scored 23 times for Liverpool and assisted in an astonishing 86 goals. He can certainly attack.
It’s become almost tiring to have to highlight what Alexander-Arnold can do, rather than obsess only about what he can’t do. It’s not as if Tuchel has seen England turn into George Graham’s Arsenal without Alexander-Arnold. They’ve conceded 13 in the last six games. It’s not as if Alexander-Arnold hasn’t constantly made himself available, waiting hopefully for the call. He’s desperate to represent England again. And the feeling was always that Tuchel called him up begrudgingly for this camp, following Reece James's injury.
In the continued absence of James, a familiar lament, Tuchel should give Alexander-Arnold a chance. He’s worth more than 26 minutes as a sub against Andorra 15 months ago. That’s how much Tuchel has given him. Since then, Jarell Quansah, James, Ezri Konsa, Djed Spence, Ben White, Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker have been Tuchel’s picks at right-backs. And when he did come on against Andorra in 2025, it was in midfield for Jordan Henderson. Curtis Jones, a midfielder, was at right-back.
In explaining why he chose Quansah over Alexander-Arnold against Spain, and kept him on for 90 minutes despite England being behind, Tuchel argued that, “There was a lot of defending to do as well, one-on-one defending. Marc Guehi followed in midfield, so we ended up in a back-three. We needed Jarell’s speed and Jarell’s quality to think also as a central defender. He was top class at the World Cup, he was top class in training this week, he did excellent in this game.” Apart from being caught out for Spain’s winner.
Quansah is a good centre-back, and has been used at right-back by Bayer Leverkusen, but he lacks the range of attacking delivery Alexander-Arnold can produce. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who thrives on crosses, was sent on for Harry Kane with seven minutes remaining against Spain, yet there was little width. Anthony Gordon had again experienced the early Tuchel hook. Bukayo Saka had just gone off. Morgan Rogers went wide and Morgan Gibbs-White came into the middle.
Alexander-Arnold might have delivered one ball that Calvert-Lewin could have relished. It might have been a cross, a free-kick or a corner. Alexander-Arnold can produce all of those to a very high standard. Instead, Calvert-Lewin was starved of service.
Alexander-Arnold deserves a chance on Tuesday in Prague, where England will enjoy plenty of possession against Czechia, ranked 49th in the world. It’s a game to restore confidence and get England’s Nations League qualifying back on track.
A good manager would ensure cover for Alexander-Arnold. Konsa is quick to cover across, and the Arsenal centre-back has the pace and awareness. Playing a more defensive full-back on the left would give England more security, and allow one defender, Alexander-Arnold, to attack more. Nico O’Reilly kept stepping into midfield from left-back, a noted strength of his (and created Harry Kane’s goal). Lewis Hall, a more natural full-back than O’Reilly, wasn’t considered for the Spain game as a precaution following a slight “injury scare” in training, according to Tuchel.
If he’s fit, England will certainly have a more orthodox full-back. So let Alexander-Arnold roam and create. A strategy with some risk can bring welcome reward. It just depends how bold Tuchel really is.
Alexander-Arnold will be 28 next month. Let’s at least give a special talent another chance for England.
