for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia<\/a>.<\/p>\nThis was after Tuchel even opted to pick Alexander-Arnold’s former Liverpool team-mate Curtis Jones, a central midfielder, ahead of him at right-back against Andorra in June.<\/p>\n
Tuchel has made his concerns over Alexander-Arnold’s perceived defensive frailties clear, saying: “If he wants to have this impact in the English national team then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously.<\/p>\n
“Because when we are talking, especially about qualifying football, and then tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100% awake, can be decisive. It can be the moment where you pack your suitcases and go home.”<\/p>\n
Packing his suitcase early for a flight back to England is not on Tuchel’s agenda – so one of the country’s most naturally gifted footballers is overlooked again.<\/p>\n
Alexander-Arnold was not included in Tuchel’s 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March, missing out again when the coach needed to seek reinforcements.<\/p>\n
Tuchel instead picked Arsenal’s Ben White, who has not been a regular at club level and had been in self-imposed England exile since the Qatar World Cup in 2022.<\/p>\n
Alexander-Arnold did make Tuchel’s provisional 55-man World Cup squad, although that could hardly be called a ringing endorsement.<\/p>\n
It is in sharp contrast to the faith placed in Alexander-Arnold by Lee Carsley, England’s Under-21 coach who bridged the gap between Southgate’s departure and Tuchel’s appointment.<\/p>\n
Carsley even used Alexander-Arnold at left-back in a 3-1 Nations League win at Finland in October 2024, crowning his performance with a superb free-kick.<\/p>\n
Alexander-Arnold started four games out of six under Carsley but none of Tuchel’s 14 – those facts speak for themselves.<\/p>\n
As a head coach who fixates on squad togetherness, was there a worry that having such a high-profile player on the margins might lead Alexander-Arnold to provide an unintentional distraction and focus of attention?<\/p>\n
Alexander-Arnold’s latest rejection appears to be further evidence there is no way back for him with England as long as Tuchel is in charge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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