Much as many a Liverpool fan expected – Trent Alexander-Arnold will inevitably pay the price for England’s poor form in the European Championship.
The Reds fullback is now reportedly set to return to the bench for the Three Lions’ final group game against Slovenia.
The ever-reliable David Ornstein of The Athletic has confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher is set to take the fullback-turned-midfielder’s place.
Conor Gallagher set to come into England XI for final #EURO2024 group game v Slovenia. Chelsea midfielder expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold as Gareth Southgate continues trend of tweaking #ENG team for game 3 of major tournaments @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/VpUM3nshZU
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 24, 2024
This follows England’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Kasper Hjulmand’s Denmark in which Morten Hjulmand cancelled out Harry Kane’s opener.
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A draw against Slovenia would be enough to see Gareth Southgate’s outfit through to the knockout stages.
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For a player who is seemingly “lost” and doesn’t seem to know how to function in midfield, according to various pundits and commentators, Trent’s doing a good impression of an effective midfielder.
Just look at the numbers collected by TNT Sports on X.
No player created more chances for England today than Trent Alexander-Arnold.
He came off after 54 minutes… pic.twitter.com/7Y3gvSeFuJ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 20, 2024
Trent Alexander-Arnold vs. Denmark:
■ 54 minutes played
■ 3 chances created
■ 6 long balls completed
■ 2/5 duels won
■ 2 fouls won
■ 2 shots blocked
■ 1x dribble past pic.twitter.com/yoLtnyaiBd— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 20, 2024
It was telling that the decision to extract the No.8 from the pitch before the hour-mark, and the introduction of Gallagher, did little to change the course of proceedings.
If anything – England looked duller.
Perhaps there’s an argument to be made about the balance of the set-up, perhaps Trent’s better-suited to a right-back role. Suggestions he’s holding back this England side from reaching its full potential, however, are well wide of the mark.
If you’re going to point the finger anywhere, point it at the manager who can’t get a tune out of the embarrassment of riches at his disposal.
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