Trent Alexander-Arnold insists you ‘can’t go wrong’ in midfield for England

Trent Alexander-Arnold has praised his England teammates for helping him adjust to playing in midfield.  The 25-year-old is one of the most effective full-backs on the planet but was deployed in a central role by Gareth Southgate for England’s 1-0 win over Serbia to open their Euro 2024 campaign. It’s a position Alexander-Arnold has played […]

The post Trent Alexander-Arnold insists you ‘can’t go wrong’ in midfield for England appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has praised his England teammates for helping him adjust to playing in midfield. 

The 25-year-old is one of the most effective full-backs on the planet but was deployed in a central role by Gareth Southgate for England’s 1-0 win over Serbia to open their Euro 2024 campaign.

It’s a position Alexander-Arnold has played before but is still a controversial pick from Southgate, who has the likes of Conor Gallagher, Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton as more natural options in his squad.

Alexander-Arnold had a mixed evening, playing a key role in the excellent football on show from the Three Lions in the opening half-hour, but also losing the ball in dangerous areas a couple of times — including gifting an opportunity to Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Alexander-Arnold thanks teammates for midfield guidance

Despite a couple of difficult moments, there was plenty to suggest Alexander-Arnold can fully adjust to playing through the middle.

The Liverpool man had 60 touches of the ball, while posting an 88% pass completion rate, three shots attempted — including a powerful effort from distance that forced a save from Predrag Rajkovic — four out of six long passes completed and four passes into the final third during his 69 minutes on the pitch.

Alexander-Arnold has praised his England teammates for helping him adjust to an unfamiliar position.

“I found it good,” Alexander-Arnold told UEFA.com of playing in midfield (via BBC Sport). “Physically demanding. But when you are playing with Declan, Jude and with an experienced back four behind you, and Jude and Declan who communicate really well, it’s hard to go wrong.”

England continue their Group C campaign against Denmark in Frankfurt on Thursday, while Serbia travel to Munich to take on Slovenia.

The post Trent Alexander-Arnold insists you ‘can’t go wrong’ in midfield for England appeared first on CaughtOffside.