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People were questioning Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion in midfield but we need to acknowledge his role in the context of international football — where individual qualities and moments are more likely to be valued than a player’s impact on out of possession structure.
Judging Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion through the lens of a club team is probably not the best thing to do. England’s No 8 showed he is up to the task this summer with a mature display in a fluid midfield against Serbia.
At times, he was pulling into an orthodox right-back role (below). On other occasions, he was tucking inside to get involved in the build-up, much like his role this season for Liverpool. It was also not uncommon to see him pushing on the last line to pin Serbia’s centre-backs further back.
Where Alexander-Arnold will be particularly valuable at international level is finding those gaps in the opposition defence from long range. At times, the ball needed to be switched quickly to move Serbia’s stubborn defensive block, and there is no England player who can zip a ball with the accuracy that Alexander-Arnold can.
Sure, he had one or two shaky moments in possession — one being a key turnover on the edge of England’s box that led to a lucrative Serbia effort on goal — but his positive contribution far outweighed the lazy narrative about his defensive capabilities.
If anything, his positioning in the middle of the park was key in intercepting a Serbia pass to set England on a dangerous counter-attack. Southgate has worked for months to ensure that this Alexander-Arnold “project” works well. In that regard, it is so far, so good.
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Courtesy : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/england-denmark-live-updates-euro-2024-score-result/6A4Y777Kd35i/