Thomas Tuchel believes Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to embrace England’s new ideas and step beyond his usual comfort zone to make a greater impact on the team.
The emphasis appears to be on a more vertical style, with Alexander-Arnold encouraged to provide greater width and remain more involved in attacking positions.
Tuchel saw the Real Madrid right-back attempt to do exactly that against the Czech Republic, rather than repeatedly dropping into deep central areas to operate as a quarterback. Crucially, Alexander-Arnold still produced several of his trademark, sweeping crossfield passes while spending far more time in dangerous positions.
The England manager believes that change in positional mindset could also help Bukayo Saka thrive, with Alexander-Arnold able to move around him, underlap or overlap. His progressive display against the Czech Republic offered a glimpse of what he can bring to the side.
Only Marc Guehi had more touches than Alexander-Arnold’s 47 before half-time. Many of those came in the final third, while just 11 were recorded inside England’s own half. No player was more involved during the opening 45 minutes, suggesting Tuchel may have found a way to draw the best from a defender who should arguably have earned more than his 36 England caps.
“He can impress, mark his territory and show his true capacity, which nobody doubts,” Tuchel said on Friday. Alexander-Arnold provided evidence of that a few days later.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (left) has embraced Thomas Tuchel’s demand for a more vertical England style
Harry eyes more history
After matching Peter Shilton’s England record of 125 caps, Harry Kane is now looking beyond the European Championship in 18 months and targeting a place among the greatest international goalscorers in football history.
Kane scored twice on the night, taking his England total to 91. His first was brilliantly constructed, beginning with a lofted one-touch pass from Elliot Anderson before Morgan Rogers delivered a first-time cross.
The double moved Kane ahead of Malaysia’s Mokhtar Dahari, who scored during the 1970s, and India’s Sunil Chhetri, who retired last year. He ended the evening just one goal behind Robert Lewandowski’s international tally of 92 and could overtake the Poland striker next month.
Kane is already sixth on the all-time list, and surpassing Ali Daei’s 108 goals is now a realistic possibility. The former Iran striker sits third, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Because Kane offers England much more than goals and continued to drop deep as usual on Tuesday night, the argument that he is the country’s finest player ever is far from fanciful. Winning a major trophy would cement that claim, with his legacy potentially decided during a few crucial weeks in 2028.
Harry Kane scored twice against the Czech Republic to take his England goals tally to 91
A sigh of relief (sort of) for Manchester City at last…
Manchester City have more pressing concerns than player fatigue at present, but Enzo Maresca is sure to have felt relieved when Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson were substituted shortly after the hour mark.
Both players had started every match during the camp, with Guehi featuring for almost the entire schedule before facing the Czechs. Despite concerns over the Saturday-to-Tuesday turnaround, Tuchel felt compelled to select both City stars in the final game as England pursued a place in the quarter-finals.
Kane is the only other player to have started all four matches. Tuchel will be pleased that the trio emerged unscathed, particularly after Bournemouth’s frustration over the handling of Alex Scott at the weekend. However, the England manager was also right to stress that, for just over two weeks, the national team’s priorities take precedence over club anxieties.
Jordan Pickford and James Trafford bid to pass the test
With 14 minutes remaining, Tuchel raised his arms and gestured towards Jordan Pickford after the goalkeeper misplaced a clipped pass into midfield. To be fair, Pickford had appeared to be battling boredom for much of the evening.
“There’s nothing better than playing a pass through the lines, or a longer pass,” Pickford recently said when discussing the increasingly important role goalkeepers play in building from the back. He takes considerable pride in his distribution and still completed around 80 per cent of his passes against the Czech Republic, many of them ambitious attempts through the lines.
That ability to distribute from the back may ultimately decide whether Pickford or James Trafford is England’s first-choice goalkeeper before the European Championship.
Jordan Pickford’s distribution could prove crucial in keeping James Trafford from claiming England’s No 1 spot
Ashley educating the young
There are some strong initiatives around England home games and one of them is for an ex-international to speak with teenagers in the FA’s system about his experiences. Ashley Young was at Wembley for this and talked with the Under 15s, organised by Michael Johnson, head of talent ID from the Under 14s to the 17s. Certainly not a bad experience for talented youngsters.
