Gareth Southgate spoke to Trent Alexander-Arnold before leaving him out of England’s Nations League match against Germany and believes his “whole game” currently lags behind rival right-back Kieran Trippier.
The 23-year-old has starred in successes for his hometown Liverpool in recent years, but has struggled to translate that form onto the international stage.
Alexander-Arnold has made just 17 appearances since making his debut in 2018 and just one of them has come this year, with the full-back as an unused substitute in Italy and omitted from the squad that faced Germany.
That decision dominated the build-up to Monday’s 3-3 draw despite the team containing senior right-backs Kyle Walker, Reece James and Trippier, and adds fuel to the debate over Southgate’s World Cup selection. .
“First of all, I didn’t want any player to sit in the stands for two matches, so I think the way we handle a group of people has been a great strength for us in tournaments and we need to do it,” he said. England coach. he said.
“The other night, we didn’t need the left tailgate.
“Against Germany we did it because of the way we went with the team so we needed Chilly on the bench and we had Kieran who, at the moment, I feel like his whole game is ahead. [of Alexander-Arnold].”
Asked about talks with those left out, Southgate said: “I’ve had long talks with all of them, I’ve been very clear with them about where they stand, what they need to improve on, what they’re doing well so they’ve got very clear where they sit.
Southgate has never been afraid to make bold decisions and trust his instincts during his six years in charge of England.
Alexander-Arnold is a hot topic regarding his decisions, as is the loyalty shown to underdog Manchester United captain Harry Maguire.
The 29-year-old gave away the penalty that allowed Germany to open the scoring on Monday and was stripped on the play that ended with the second, but Southgate’s faith remains intact.
“I know everyone says he’s important to me, he’s important to us,” Southgate said. “It’s us, it’s not me.
“Why did we choose it? Because he is one of the players who gives us the best chance of winning.
“So we really should all want a Harry Maguire who plays regularly and plays with confidence.
“That applies, of course, to quite a few players, but he’s the one that everything lands on, which must be a difficult space for him, really, but he’s showing tremendous character.
“I think he has the character to get through this because he is a boy who has been from Sheffield United to Hull City; his journey has not been easy.
“Sometimes you have guys who, in the early part of their career, haven’t had to deal with adversity and when it hits them, it’s harder to deal with.
“He’s like most of us, really, in that he’s had a lot of obstacles and that shapes your character.”
The Football Association has said the England squad will be announced on November 9 or 10, with the squad meeting on November 14 after the last round of Premier League matches.
That provides very little preparation time for the Group B opener against Iran and leaves Southgate facing a “unique” challenge in Qatar.
“There just won’t be time. [to meet up before]Southgate said. “They are going to have too many games and we have to respect what they are doing with their clubs.
“We have a lot of analysis of the opposition. We can go to the games that are played on Tuesday night, which we normally can’t do. That’s a bonus.
“Of course we need to monitor our players as best we can.
“We always seek to know absolutely everything about them and a lot of liaison with the clubs about how they are physically and what is happening to them. So we don’t lack things to go forward with.”
