The axing of Trent Alexander-Arnold by England will be painful for the player, but Liverpool may not mind. The Reds might even cross their fingers and hope for more.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will not play for England against Germany this week. Gareth Southgate has left him out, apparently unable to find a position for the Liverpool right-back.
It comes as both a surprise and no surprise. On the one hand, Alexander-Arnold is a fantastic player who should be in every international squad by default. In contrast, the rhetoric surrounding the 24-year-old has made him a strange talking point in English football.
Despite winning everything by 24 as a key player in an elite team, Alexander-Arnold is not regarded as one of England’s best. He’s frequently chastised for his lack of defensive ability, which allows opposing teams to easily create against Liverpool. It’s a mystery how the Reds were able to overcome that obvious weak link and boast the best defense in the country last season. Not to mention that they did it in 2019 and 2020.
It’s almost as if Alexander-defensive Arnold’s woes are exaggerated. But maybe it’s just us, as well as Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool coaching staff, and seemingly every major ex-pro who praises the right-back.
In fact, we believe the Reds are ecstatic about the news.
England axing Trent Alexander-Arnold
There’s now a very good chance that Alexander-Arnold misses the World Cup. That’s the apparent message from Gareth Southgate – the Scouser isn’t at the forefront of his plans.
Liverpool would love this. Of course, they want the best for their player and wish to see him thrive. But the World Cup falls slap, bang in the middle of the season this year. It will leave many of the game’s stars absolutely exhausted for the second half of the season.
As a result, anyone who does not go receives the inverse. They get a month off to rest – something they don’t usually get, especially in English football.
Liverpool has a number of such players. Joel Matip will not attend because he has retired from the Cameroonian national team. Egypt, Colombia, and Scotland did not qualify, so Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, and Andy Robertson will miss the tournament.
Add Alexander-Arnold to that list, and Liverpool now has four key players on a mid-season break. In fact, both of their wings will be in excellent condition. If they can position themselves correctly before then, the conditions are set for a silverware assault.
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