Excluding Trent Alexander-Arnold and other stars from England roster places even more pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel

Excluding Trent Alexander-Arnold and other stars from England roster places even more pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . It takes a lot of letters to spell out the whole of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s name, but that seems not to be the reason England could not fit him on their roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Being left off the squad for a major tournament makes this the lowest point of his time with the Three Lions (or not, as it turns out), but there's always been some disconnect when it comes to him and international soccer. It’s possible no player this accomplished ever had a more meager England career than the guy often referred to as “TAA” for reasons already mentioned. He is not alone as a big-name player left out of the England squad.

Manager Thomas Tuchel did not invite Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden, Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and, most strikingly, forward Cole Palmer, a hero at Euro 2024 and of Chelsea ’s triumph in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. There were enough presumably obvious choices excluded that Tuchel placed himself in a position that England better win the tournament or come bloody close. MORE: England World Cup snubs: Maguire, Palmer, Foden amongst players not selected for Three Lions duty in 2026 “Teams win championships,” Tuchel said at Friday’s press conference.

“From day one, we were very clear that we are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily to select and collect the 26 most talented players. ” Selecting the wrong players, though, can wreck that mission before it begins. A 27-year-old right back, Alexander-Arnold was one of the most important players on Liverpool FC teams that won two Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League once (and reached three finals), the Club World Cup, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.