Why Thomas Tuchel must ignore Trent Alexander-Arnold’s flaws and take him to World Cup

Tuesday’s match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich was the obvious choice as England manager Thomas Tuchel decided which Champions League quarter-final to attend, though he probably didn’t expect to come away from the Bernabeu with this much to ponder. The Three Lions boss saw his old side put in an impressive performance as Bayern ran out 2-1 winners in the first leg , and while Tuchel would no doubt have been entertained by an end-to-end game in the Spanish capital, he’ll be far happier with what he saw in the performances of three potentially key England stars. Harry Kane ’s well-taken goal 20 seconds after the restart was enough to give Bayern a slender lead to take into next week’s second leg in Munich.

But this was trademark Kane, and while a record of 49 goals so far this term is hugely encouraging for Tuchel, he’d have learned little from the England captain’s accomplished finish. Harry Kane’s well-taken goal was enough to earn Bayern a narrow first-leg lead (AFP/Getty) However, it is obvious that Tuchel was not here to evaluate the performances of his captain, especially given England’s struggles without him during the most recent international break. The England boss will be focusing more on his choices to fill the last few spots in the final squad for this summer’s World Cup, as well as who will make up the final names in his starting line-up for the opening match against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June.

To that end, he’ll have been pleased to see Trent Alexander-Arnold starting for Madrid at right-back. The former Liverpool defender has had a difficult start to life in the Spanish capital and he was left out of the latest England squad, with Ben White even favoured ahead of him once Tuchel was forced to make changes to his 35-man roster. Tuchel has previously voiced concerns over the defensive aspects of Alexander-Arnold’s game but the England manager will be fully aware of his attacking talents, and both aspects of his game were on show at the Bernabeu.

It was noteworthy that Alvaro Arbeloa opted to use the ever-industrious Fede Valverde on the right wing to help out the full-back, with the Madrid manager obviously aware of the threat Luis Diaz possessed when one-on-one with Alexander-Arnold . This was exposed towards the end of the first half when the winger crept in behind his former Liverpool teammate to give Bayern the lead, and it was one of the final actions in a mixed first half that saw Alexander-Arnold deliver dangerous set-pieces and look threatening in the final third while also giving away possession far too easily on occasion. Alexander-Arnold was at fault for Bayern’s opening goal, having failed to track the run of Diaz in behind (Getty Images) However, the 27-year-old was key to Madrid’s second-half resurgence, continuing his threat from set-pieces before delivering a pinpoint cross into the corridor between Manuel Neuer and his defenders.