Time for Tuchel to offer Alexander-Arnold some trust

England head coach Thomas Tuchel's apparent lack of trust in Trent Alexander-Arnold has been one of the defining features - and a constant narrative - of his time in charge.

The 27-year-old right-back has won a Premier League title at Liverpool then moved to Real Madrid since he last started for England, selected as a left-back by interim manager Lee Carsley when scoring in a 3-1 Nations League win in Finland in October 2024.

He was ignored for England's World Cup squad last summer, despite right-back being a cursed role for Tuchel, making it appear that whatever questions the German had about that position, Alexander-Arnold was never going to be the answer.

So Tuchel's decision to recall Alexander-Arnold for this four-game Nations League camp came as a surprise, so emphatically had he been marginalised by England.

It was against this backdrop that Alexander-Arnold became the ninth right-back used by Tuchel in 24 games when he finally got his start against Czech Republic in Prague as England tried to recover from the 3-2 loss to World Cup holders Spain at Wembley.

And, with perhaps something to prove according to Tuchel, Alexander-Arnold did exactly that in one world-class moment that might convince his coach to train his sights on what he can do rather than what he cannot.

It is time, in other words, for Tuchel to offer Alexander-Arnold some trust.

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