It is the time of the calendar year where football fans are beginning to think about the upcoming European Championships, even as they focus on the title and top-four races, as well as championship matches and transfer windows. Liverpool fans have plenty of top-four anxiety and loads of questions about the upcoming market, but they are also very much banging the drum for Trent Alexander-Arnold to get some respect from England manager Gareth Southgate.
Despite being one of the most talented players in his country, Alexander-Arnold was recently snubbed from the national team, leading to worries that he may not be selected for the upcoming Euros. England are a team with plenty of talent, but underperformance and lackluster managing have hurt them in past tournaments. And fans do not want a repeat, especially when it comes to the basic selection of who is in the squad.
Alexander-Arnold made a statement this Thursday night at Old Trafford with a world-class performance in a 4-2 win over Manchester United. The 22-year-old – it’s still hard to believe how young he is – delivered five key passes, according to WhoScored.com. And he provided a great cross to assist Roberto Firmino for one of the Brazilian’s two vital goals in the victory.
Although Alexander-Arnold was most specifically focused on beating Liverpool’s rivals in a must-win game in the battle for the Champions League next season, his performance was a reminder to England fans that “TAA” is simply too good to be left off the national team’s squad this summer.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is a difference-maker for Liverpool, and he can be the same for England at the Euros
Hopefully, Southgate has gotten the memo. There are so many people who want to fix in on Alexander-Arnold’s defensive errors, and that performance against Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid probably stands out to more casual fans. But it’s so important to remember the qualities a player has and to remember that a proper setup can accentuate a player’s strengths and mitigate their weaknesses.
Against Manchester United, Alexander Arnold’s chance-creation was certainly accentuated, as he stood out as the Man of the Match that night. And his defending – which is honestly more “mediocre” than “terrible” anyway – was not exposed either. Not by the resurgent Luke Shaw, nor the renowned Paul Pogba.
Alexander-Arnold has a role to play for England. There isn’t a player who can provide a final ball quite like him from wide positions. He is so adept at timing his passes and reading weaknesses in a defense. Alexander-Arnold is like having a regista on the right-hand side of the pitch.
Even if Southgate has reservations about starting him in every game, TAA is too good not to be an option. He can be an X-Factor in so many ways for England, just as he’s been a difference-maker for Liverpool over the past couple of years.