Is Trent Alexander-Arnold the missing piece in Gareth Southgate’s England jigsaw?
Trent Alexander-Arnold has shown he can thrive in midfield for England like he has with Liverpool – and Gareth Southgate deserves praise for finding the right role for him.
Valuable lessons are thin on the ground in Euro 2024 qualifying — especially when, as in England’s case over the past few days, your opponents are ranked 60 and 167 places below you in Fifa’s world rankings.
But one conclusion leapt out of Monday’s 7-0 rout of North Macedonia and the 4-0 stroll in Malta last week: Trent Alexander-Arnold’s blossoming as an effective deep playmaking option on the international stage.
Wearing the No10 shirt, he Liverpool right-back-cum-midfielder thrived in a central role that allowed him to receive the ball from defenders and use his glorious range of passing to pick holes in the opposition.
Shaping like a young Andrea Pirlo, the languid Alexander-Arnold’s highlight was a gorgeous first-time sweep over the North Macedonia left-back that sent Bukayo Saka in behind to smash the pick of his hat-trick.
In doing so he provided the clearest evidence yet that Gareth Southgate and his coaching team may have solved the riddle of how to tease out the best parts of his game in an England shirt.
For this Southgate deserves great credit. The England manager has taken pelters from Merseyside and beyond for preferring Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier at right-back, where he has an embarrassment of riches.
Southgate stuck to his guns admirably, even when it only brought more criticism, but has also shown the flexibility to find a role for Alexander-Arnold without compromising his selection in defence.
He might also have found a potent additional weapon to add to England’s already-stocked artillery.
Central midfield has long been pinpointed as an Achilles heel under Southgate, the area where England, for all their attacking options, have been found wanting in their biggest games, against Croatia and Italy in particular.
Alexander-Arnold roaming central areas to spray passes and pick through-balls — as he has been for some months under Jurgen Klopp, who deserves praise for converting him — can help to solve that problem.
It’s not a perfect solution; one of England’s chief issues is their struggle to retain the ball and control the tempo when leading against quality opponents, and that is not what Alexander-Arnold is best at.
But credit where it’s due: the 24-year-old has played his way into Southgate’s first XI thoughts with two excellent displays, and the manager has shown again that his considered approach is the right one to keep fine-tuning his England side.