Much has been made of Gareth Southgate’s decision not to give Trent Alexander-Arnold any minutes in the latest international break and cut him out of the squad altogether for the recent game with Germany, but now it’s a further insult to injury.
Speaking to the media (via BBC Sport), the England manager said: “I’ve had long talks with all of them. [who have been left out].
“The other night [against Italy], we didn’t need the left rear cover. Against Germany we did it because of the way we went with the team so we needed Chilly [Ben Chilwell] on the bench and we had Kieran [Trippier] who, at the moment, I feel like their entire game is ahead [of Alexander-Arnold].”
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If there have been ‘long talks’ between our number 66 and the 52-year-old, then these words will not come as a personal surprise to the player, but certainly to many who hear them.
There is no doubt that Kieran Trippier is also a talented footballer, but to publicly claim that he is ahead of the 23-year-old seems unfair and a bit too bold of the manager.
The 32-year-old is playing at a very different level to our right-back and is not tested in such high-profile games, or against the best players in Europe, on such a regular basis.
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At this point, when he takes a player and doesn’t use him and discredits his ability in an outward way, it seems the former Middlesbrough manager is looking for a reaction.
It is unclear if that is in the form of better performances on the pitch or in terms of negative public reaction from the player so that he no longer has to pick him.
The national team manager is clearly not convinced by Scouser in our squad, but knows his performances at club level mean he deserves a call-up, rather than find a way to get one of the team’s best players on the pitch: he’s leaving . he took him out of the day’s call.
It feels like a manager who is out of his depth and desperate for a player to have a public outburst, so he doesn’t have to draft him anymore.
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