Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s performance went under the microscope as England kicked off Euro 2024 with a 1-0 win over Serbia, with the jury seemingly still out.
Alexander-Arnold made his first major tournament start for England since 2018 when he joined Declan Rice in a two-man midfield for Sunday’s Group A opener.
He produced a mixed display in an adjusted role, performing as an out-and-out midfielder rather than moving into the engine room from right-back as he has at Liverpool.
It came with its critics, of course – and Jude Bellingham rubbished claims his team-mate is a defensive liability – with Alexander-Arnold given an undue level of scrutiny.
Here’s how the English press saw his first big night as an England midfielder.
The Guardian‘s Jacob Steinberg handed Alexander-Arnold a 6 out of 10, writing:
“Pressed well in first half but lucky Mitrovic did not punish a mistake. Lacked control.”
Mike McGrath of the Telegraph was more measured, awarding a 7 out of 10 rating:
“The odd mistake is worth the risk as he brings so much to the game with his switches of play and range of passes that others cannot see.”
The lowest rating came from the Mail‘s Craig Hope, who believes Gareth Southgate’s “midfield experiment did not work” due to a 5 out of 10 display from Alexander-Arnold:
“Some good, some bad. More so of the latter, unfortunately.
“His mistake almost led to a Serbia goal in the first half and his passing surrendered possession on a couple of occasions.
“There were a couple of lovely balls to spring the likes of Saka clear, but on the whole this midfield experiment did not work.”
That contrasted the view of Sky Sports‘ Sam Blitz, who rated Alexander-Arnold an 8 out of 10 after a “very encouraging display”:
“A livewire. Had plenty of shots from midfield and took up good areas – while his smart interception created the Walker chance in the first half.
“He was taken off as England needed more energy in midfield, but the Liverpool player showed he can do the running side of the game as well.
“He made that mistake for Aleksandr Mitrovic’s first-half chance but it was a small dot on a very encouraging display.”
GOAL‘s Richard Martin was among those nonplussed by a “hit and miss” showing, seeing the positives and the negatives as a 6 out of 10:
“Hit and miss, losing the ball in a dangerous area and being let off the hook by Mitrovic, but also set up a sweeping attack with a clever pass to Saka.”
Harry Latham-Coyle of the Independent also gave Alexander-Arnold a 6 out of 10:
“A couple of loose early moments but offers intriguing dimension in midfield. A decent start in a role he will hope to refine over next few weeks.”
As did his colleague Mark Douglas, giving him a 6 out of 10 in his ratings for The i:
“Playing him in the midfield is Southgate doing what was asked and taking the handbrake off.
“I’m yet to be convinced he doesn’t give the ball away too easily to be the answer throughout the tournament.”
More forgiving but agreed in a 6 out of 10 rating was Dan Kilpatrick, writing for the Evening Standard:
“The jury remains out on Southgate’s big experiment.
“The Liverpool man’s range of passing caught the eye and he stung the goalkeeper’s palms with a long-range effort.
“But it is not clear if he has the positional discipline for a midfield role and Serbia’s best chance of the first half – a shot flashed wide by Aleksandar Mitrovic – came from his loose touch.”
Ben Fleming, writing for the Metro, offered a similar level of analysis and the same 6 out of 10 rating:
“Was brought in to provide more creativity in central midfield and certainly did that at points with pinpoint switches of play.
“Nearly punished by Mitrovic after giving away the ball cheaply in the first half and sacrificed in the second half when England wanted more bite in the middle of the park.
Jury still out.”
Finally, Conor O’Neill of football.london joined with another 6 out of 10, writing that the tweak in role “still needs time to pay off”:
“Gareth Southgate’s biggest gamble with his team selection and the experiment of shifting the Liverpool right-back into midfield still needs time to pay off despite some nice passing.”
England are next in action on Thursday evening, when they face Denmark in a 5pm kickoff – and it remains to be seen whether Alexander-Arnold will keep his place.
