It’s the experiment that causes more debate than any other. But after being omitted from the England squad to face Germany on Monday night, it is time we drew a line under the whole saga. For this year anyway. There is hardly a player in the Premier League more divisive than the Liverpool right-back.
The Reds fans absolutely adore their local hero. That corner against Barcelona, his role in the Premier League-winning season and the record-breaking assists have already given him a place in the history of that famous club. But despite his obvious attacking quality and his set-piece delivery, the 23-year-old hasn’t been able to nail down a starting spot for his country.
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For some he’s the best right-back in the world. He’s even regularly mentioned in all-time Premier League XIs. But for others he is an untrustworthy defender who simply makes too many errors to ever hold down a starting spot in a major tournament. His form for his club so far this season points to the latter more than the former and with so many England options at right-back and a 26-man squad, has Gareth Southgate just resorted to including him for the sake of it?
The manager is clearly aware of Alexander-Arnold's qualities. He included him in a World Cup squad at the age of 19 and had him in his initial squad for the European Championship. But the Three Lions don’t need four right-backs, and the three they’ve already got have proved themselves on the international stage.
Kyle Walker is the key to England’s back line, whether that be in a three or a four. As a centre-back he makes up for the lack of mobility displayed by Harry Maguire and John Stones. As a right-back, his pace and recovery runs are crucial against quick attackers.
Kieran Trippier is not only a set-piece king and solid defender, but a man who has played a major part in England’s two biggest matches under Southgate. He scored that iconic free-kick against Croatia in the World Cup semi-final and then put in a perfect cross for Luke Shaw to score the opener in the Euro 2020 final.
Then we have Reece James, who seems to have the most direct comparisons to Trent. He may have even fewer England caps than the Liverpool man, but he has proven himself to be a top quality option in both boxes. Southgate, in choosing James to start against Italy, already knows he is first choice at right wing-back if the Three Lions play with a back five. It comes naturally to the Chelsea man to play that role, something that can’t be said of Trent.
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At Liverpool he is given everything he needs to almost play a free role from right-back. It’s unheard of, but at Anfield it works such is the attacking quality he provides. But you can’t afford to do that against top class nations in major tournaments. One mistake or lapse of judgement and you are out.
The England manager has tried to find a way around this by testing him in central midfield, but that experiment didn’t really work either and brought heavy criticism from Jurgen Klopp. So, if he can’t be trusted to play in a back four in a system that isn’t completely built around him, and he doesn’t have the experience of playing in a back five or in central midfield, what is the point in taking him at all?
Well, it might not be completely pointless. With a 26-man squad, there is flexibility to include him. If England are chasing a game and heading out of the tournament, throwing him on in order to create something could be worthwhile. With five subs it is more likely to happen, but then again James and Trippier can both provide attacking threat and would do so in a more forward-thinking back four. It would be a last resort for a usually pragmatic manager.
The Three Lions had such a successful camp last summer that it is worth keeping that unit as close as possible, even if it means leaving out someone of Trent’s ability. He will probably be on the plane, simply due to the fact that there are 26 places and it would cause more hassle than good to leave him out. But if there were the traditional 23 he should not be included in England’s World Cup plans, after all, when Southgate names his final squad, Trent will have played in just five of the Three Lions' last 31 matches.
He hasn’t brought anything to the table on an international level and is out of form for his club. He’ll be involved in the England set-up for the next decade. But he has to become more reliable if he is to assert himself as first choice.
