‘Axed Alexander-Arnold faces fight for club & country’

After being dropped by England coach Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia, Trent Alexander-Arnold is now facing an uphill fight on two fronts.

The 26-year-old’s dream move from Liverpool to Real Madrid ended in a disastrous start when he was demoted to the starting lineup for the win against Oviedo after being offended 68 minutes into his La Liga debut against Osasuna.

After Tuchel’s most recent admission that he is not convinced by the full-back, it is obvious Alexander-Arnold will have a battle with them to win the World Cup if they are selected for the next summer.

The German made all the right sounds in his previous appearances, even going as far as to suggest that his former Liverpool team-mate Curtis Jones, an established midfielder, would be ready for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra in June.

Alexander-Arnold was merely a substitute for 26 minutes in that game before being completely absent from the friendly defeat to Senegal at Nottingham City Ground.

And if he hadn’t already known, he is already aware of Tuchel’s plans for the World Cup.

When asked about omitting Jack Grealish and Alexander-Arnold, who have made a strong start on loan at Everton, Tuchel responded, “We decided to make a tighter, more competitive squad.” We didn’t utilize all 23 of them. I have no doubts about Trent and Jack Grealish.

Big personalities and big players are always present. Although I am aware that both of you are desperate, we chose Reece James and Tino Livramento for Trent’s position and Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze for Jack’s position solely for competition.

“The competition is on,” he declared.

Before those games in June, the England manager opened the door to Alexander-Arnold’s defensive prowess, saying he must take that aspect of his game “very, very seriously.”

He sometimes relies heavily on his offensive contributions, but he doesn’t place as much emphasis on the defensive discipline and effort, Tuchel said.

“He had a significant impact on Liverpool over a number of years, and if he wants to have that impact in the English national team, he must take the defensive part very seriously.”

It was an in-depth analysis of Alexander-Arnold’s game. Tuchel, who left Liverpool for the Bernabeu on a free transfer and went one step further, has now completely dropped him, adding more suffering to the defender’s agonizing time.

With the addition of Chelsea captain James, Tottenham’s Djed Spence, and Newcastle’s Livramento, who can play on both flanks, it seems obvious that Tuchel has enough options at right-back.

Alexander-Arnold has had a difficult start at Real Madrid, but he now finds club legend Dani Carvajal fit and in no mood to hand over the right-back spot he has earned while helping the team win six Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles. All of this adds up to a disappointing few days.

After suffering a serious knee ligament injury in October, Spain international Carvajal returned to fitness sooner than expected, and Alexander-Arnold could not have been happier.

Guillem Balague, a renowned Spanish football expert, reported on the BBC Radio 5 Live Euro Leagues podcast that Alexander-Arnold has already been questioned.

He asserted that Trent has already been covered in Spanish media. Carvajal will surpass him because he is too shy and unworthy. I hope Trent can read the Spanish that he is speaking and that he understands it.

He presents a significant challenge. We are aware of his ability to change, but how to work with a consistently strong Xabi Alonso team…

Carvajal is advantageous because he can do it right away, comprehend it, and be aware of Xabi’s wishes. Trent needs to pursue an education. Even at the age of 33, Carvajal will still be there and it will be challenging to remove him from the lineup.

Alexander-Arnold impressed the locals at Real Madrid by speaking in fluent Spanish at the unveiling, but Tuchel’s decision to let him in for another body blow has caused problems.

Alexander-Arnold is currently facing a daunting challenge. He might have anticipated competing with England, but perhaps not soon at Real Madrid.

And if Tuchel had concerns while playing regularly for Liverpool, they are unlikely to go away if he is playing for Los Blancos.

Alexander-Arnold has found the senior team of England to be a frustrating experience in recent years, with Sir Gareth Southgate’s predecessor concerned about his defensive weaknesses as well.

This led to Southgate’s infamous “experiment” of playing him in midfield at Euro 2024 in Germany, which he predictlessly failed to do when he was substituted in England’s second game, a 1-1 draw against Denmark, nine minutes after half-time.

Alexander-Arnold did experience a brief moment of joy when he scored the winning penalty in the quarter-final shootout victory over Switzerland, but the most recent decision leaves a serious question over his international future, a setback for a player who will have been firmly focused on winning the World Cup.