Trent Alexander-Arnold Set for a Brand-new Position With England Following Midfield Trial
England boss Lee Carsley is expected to make several changes for Sunday evening’s match against Finland, with reports suggesting that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be shifted to the left-back position.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is anticipated to start as a left-back in England’s crucial Nations League match against Finland.
The Three Lions are under significant pressure to recover after suffering a humiliating defeat to Greece earlier this week. This result has increased the scrutiny on interim head coach Lee Carsley, whose future with the team is now uncertain.
Alexander-Arnold, 25, has been a key player, starting all three of Carsley’s matches in his regular position, following his role as a midfielder during Euro 2024. However, it has now come to light that the Liverpool star is likely to be moved to yet another position.
According to BBC Sport, Alexander-Arnold will play at left-back in Sunday’s game, which will feature a much-changed lineup. Captain Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, and Marc Guehi are also expected to return to the starting XI for the match in Helsinki.
Alexander-Arnold has been a standout performer in his preferred position for England following their heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat.
His recent appearance against Greece marked the first time in his career that he has started three consecutive matches for his country.
The ongoing debate about where and how to best use Alexander-Arnold has been a frequent topic of discussion among England fans and pundits.
The strong performances of Kyle Walker have limited Alexander-Arnold’s opportunities with the national team, leading former coach Gareth Southgate to experiment with him in a midfield role.
Carsley, however, has previously stated that he sees Alexander-Arnold as a full-back rather than a midfielder, diverging from Southgate’s approach of using him in a central position.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has previously shared his confusion about the desire to move Alexander-Arnold, whom he considers the “best right-back in the world,” into a midfield role.
Reflecting in 2021 after seeing Alexander-Arnold play in central midfield against Andorra, Klopp commented:
“In this game, in a game where England are that dominant for example, or that we are that dominant that Trent could play in midfield, I would rather he was the six than in this case the eight.
“That is possible but why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder? I don’t understand that really. As if the right-back position is not as important as the others. People who say that I struggle to understand how you could think that.”
