What Chelsea gem did for England against Andorra throws Trent Alexander-Arnold's World Cup dream into jeopardy
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England future could be in jeopardy following a superb showing from a Chelsea player against Andorra.
Thomas Tuchel believes Reece James is currently England’s best right-back and he’s absolutely spot on with that assessment – as long as the Chelsea captain can stay fit.
There may be no way back into the international picture for Trent Alexander-Arnold at this rate as James was on fire in England’s latest outing and Real Madrid’s number 12 - entirely omitted from the September squad - was sofa-bound, hundreds of miles away from Villa Park.
The writing has been on the wall for a while, as Alexander-Arnold only came on as a 64th-minute substitute against Andorra in Barcelona and was completely unused against Senegal. James, often lower down in the pecking order when Gareth Southgate was in charge, has given Tuchel no reason to reintegrate Alexander-Arnold any time soon.
Chelsea gem stands out for England
As much as that’s a huge problem for Alexander-Arnold, it certainly isn’t for England right now. Reece James was one of the standout players as the Three Lions cruised to a 2-0 win over Andorra on Saturday evening. The Chelsea right-back, in from the start despite long-term concerns over his fitness, assisted Declan Rice’s header that put the result beyond doubt.
It wasn’t just any ordinary assist from James as the cross to Rice was right on the money. Chelsea’s captain ran onto a Marc Guehi pass, took one touch, looked up, and whipped a beauty towards the far post. The curl and dip on the ball evaded every member of Andorra’s five-man low block. Rice’s run and finish were superb, but it was all about James’ exquisite delivery.
James could have had two assists on the night as Harry Kane and Noni Madueke were agonisingly close to getting on the end of a drilled cross in the first half. The gasp around Villa Park told the story as Kane and Madueke both slid in a bid to convert but were just short. Had they made any contact whatsoever, Andorra goalkeeper Iker Alvarez almost certainly would’ve been beaten.
Tuchel prefers James to Alexander-Arnold
Expectations for James must be tempered - at least to an extent - as the 25-year-old has had a string of injuries and fitness problems over recent seasons, but his performance at Villa Park was very promising. Tuchel, albeit himself a little nervous about James’ injury record, was thrilled with what he saw.
“Reece at the moment is slightly ahead in this position,” Tuchel admitted during his post-match press conference. “He has the quality to defend against every opponent and he has the quality to make the difference with his right foot, his shooting, passing and crossing.
“We have to make sure - and he has to make sure with his club - that he stays fit. Everyone has this target that he stays fit. He was very much involved in Chelsea’s win at the (Club) World Cup and he proved it again today.”
As long as James trains well in the coming days, he will start again as England travel to Serbia on Tuesday. “We gave him 60 minutes with Declan (Rice) to save a bit of energy and be cautious with him, to give him the opportunity to play again in three days. At the moment, he’s crucial for us,” Tuchel added.
There has long been hype around James and he now has the opportunity to justify it. Tuchel certainly believes in him. And what better time to do it than just before a World Cup? Advantage James; Alexander-Arnold may not even get the chance to return serve.