With the sweep of a right foot, and a well-placed nod of the head, England's winner in Prague showed Thomas Tuchel what could have been. It'd been 716 days between Trent Alexander-Arnold starts for England, but against an admittedly beleaguered opponent, there was that glimpse of class from the Real Madrid man as his brilliantly judged cross split Czechia's defence.
Over the summer we watched England attempt to go under, through and over teams but struggle to find a cutting edge at key moments. Take the Ghana game: it cried out for a deep-block breaker -- that could've come from someone like Cole Palmer and his guile, or it could've come from a deep cross from right-back. They needed those deep looping crosses in the Congo DR match as they faced a 1-0 deficit ticking into the closing 15 minutes: in the end it was Declan Rice who shifted to the Trent spot to find the difference.
But against Czechia, they didn't need a makeshift option. He was there at right-back, but is he the long-term solution? Reece James, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah and Ben White will have something to say about that. But first to Trent, as he's known on the back of his shirt. The match does need an asterisk. From the 23rd minute when VAR intervened and Pavel Sulc was sent off, this was always going to go one way: England's attack against Czechia's low block.
England had opportunities in the first half with Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers and Harry Kane all frustrated. But then came the breakthrough two minutes after the break. England got the ball down in Czechia territory through Alexander-Arnold. He was well-placed to intercept a cross in England's box, and set Rogers away. He then sprinted on his shoulder into the far corner, waiting for the return pass, but was just pipped to the ball by Ladislav Krejčí. But a loose pass allowed Alexander-Arnold to scuttle back, recover it, and then as he looked up, he swung in a pinpoint cross, which found Gordon's forehead at the far post having successfully circumnavigated all four Czechia defenders in the process. Shoulders eased, England knew another goal would come. "I make that run time and time again and only a certain number of players have that ability, technique and bravery to be willing to make the mistake trying that pass," Gordon told ITV. "That's why he's so good and I've been dying to play with him for that reason."
He had other moments: neat, bisecting passes as the Czech attack dwindled. "We never doubted that he can produce these kind of assists," Tuchel said. "I think the second half the position, a bit of a deeper position, suited him more than the higher position in the first half.
"We need to keep focused, and Trent was a big help in this, because he's very secure on the ball and can be decisive with his crosses. He did this solid defending and one decisive action that helped us score, so a good performance overall."
But it's one thing to impress on a chilly night in Prague, and another when Tuchel has the full array of right-backs available (though judging by their injury record, you're more likely to see Antonio Conte appointed Tuchel's assistant than having them all available at the same time). You don't have to be an expert in semiotics to read into Tuchel's post-match answer on Saturday after the Spain match that he harbours doubts over Alexander-Arnold's defending. When asked why he hadn't used Alexander-Arnold off the bench, Tuchel answered by talking up Quansah's defensive qualities: "There was a lot of defending to do as well on the side. We had a lot of one-on-one defending on the middle line. We needed Jarell's speed and quality to think as a central defender. He did excellent in the week, he was excellent in the World Cup so he is slightly ahead. He didn't give his shirt away -- it's not his shirt, though, he must fight for it."
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It's long been the question mark over Trent. Put it to his old Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp that there were weaknesses in Alexander-Arnold's defence, and he'd send you on your way with expletives ringing in your ears. But to others -- they've had their doubts. It led to Alexander-Arnold being used as a midfielder under Gareth Southgate, as Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker were preferred. Though Alexander-Arnold got a run under Lee Carsley, Tuchel looked to other options when he took charge: Walker, James, Konsa, Djed Spence, Quansah, Livramento, White and even Curtis Jones all started matches at right-back before he turned to Alexander-Arnold. Lucky number nine?
But given his chance in Prague, Alexander-Arnold showed what he's about. It wasn't flawless -- there was the odd first-half hiccup, but he delivered. But will it be enough to keep his spot for Croatia? Tuchel has already bemoaned the packed four-match schedule his England side face with a trip to Rijeka to come on Oct. 3, and Czechia back at Wembley next Tuesday. Tuchel's mixing and matching to manage workloads, so we're unlikely to ascertain Alexander-Arnold's true place in the England pecking order until next year, especially given the absent personnel.
Alexander-Arnold's long-term England prospects are unclear. Tuchel has already talked up how he likes the White-Bukayo Saka partnership at Arsenal, and James has long been considered to be first-choice there. Tuchel's praise was far more effusive post-match in Prague for players like Gordon and Jude Bellingham than it was for Alexander-Arnold. But for now, Alexander-Arnold did exactly what was needed -- using his unique skillset to prove himself as a difference-maker for England.
"It's always an honour to represent my country," Alexander-Arnold said afterwards. "It's been a long time, but I've always believed I can play for England. That belief has always been there and it was about proving it at club level. The manager gave me a chance, now hopefully he is happy with how I played." Only Tuchel knows the answer to that.
