Does Gareth Southgate’s England Need Trent Alexander-Arnold Or Kieran Trippier Or Both?

As with all international managers whose teams are preparing for Novermber’s World Cup, England’s Gareth Southgate faced a number of questions during the most recent international break.

Along with concerns about the lack of attacking verve the team showed across three halves of football—before managing to score three in one half against Germany—as well as England’s relegation to the UEFA Nations League B, there were also questions around the omission from the lineup of Liverpool’s star right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

This was the last chance for national teams to get together before the 2022 tournament starts in Qatar on November 20, and the fact Alexander-Arnold was in the squad but didn’t play a single minute was seen as an indication he may not feature at the World Cup, if he is called up to the squad at all.

Alexander-Arnold has been a key part of Liverpool’s success during recent years that has seen them collect four major trophies—five if you include the Club World Cup—across four seasons.

The 23-year-old’s creativity from the right-back position has been a feature of these cup wins, and he’s emerged as one of the best in his position in world football, almost defining a new way to play it.

He has been in poor form this season, though, but this has been part of a wider problem at Liverpool rather than it being something he alone has been responsible for. Very few Liverpool players have had a good start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Any idea that England players are picked on club form falls apart with Southgate’s selection of Manchester United center-back Harry Maguire. The 29-year-old has struggled to find form for his club for some time now, and United have begun to turn a corner under Eric ten Hag with a center-back pairing of Lisandro Martínez and Raphaël Varane, leaving Maguire on the bench.

Maguire started both games for England this month, against Italy and Germany, and though far from convincing is still expected to be in the starting XI for the World Cup.

Southgate may have surprised some when in a post-match interview following the Germany game, he specifically mentioned the right-back position, stating that he believes Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier currently has a better all-round game than Alexander-Arnold.

“The other night, we didn’t need the left-back cover,” Southgate explained. “Against Germany we did, so we needed Chilly [Ben Chilwell] on the bench and we had Kieran who, at the moment, I feel his all-round game is ahead [of Alexander-Arnold’s].

“I’ve had long conversations with all of them and been very clear about where they stand, what they need to improve upon, and what they’re doing well.”

Even if Southgate does consider Trippier a more all-round, or even a more experienced player, given he is 32 and has played on the European continent with Atlético Madrid, Alexander-Arnold is at least his most able deputy.

But where would that leave Chelsea defender Reece James? James has played both wing-back and right center-back for his club, but in terms of the way Southgate sets his England side up, James is surely the most like-for-like alternative to Kyle Walker in the right center-back position in the back three.

Walker also plays right-back for his club but works well for England as the more progressive of the three center-backs while also having the pace to cover opposition counter-attacks. James is very similar in this regard.

With the creativity and crossing ability they offer, It would make sense for Trippier and Alexander-Arnold to compete for the right wing-back slot. It would then make sense for Walker and James to battle it out for that place on the right of the back three.

Other center-backs such as John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Eric Dier, Marc Guéhi, Conor Coady, and Maguire could then be considered for the other center-back slots in the squad, in the middle and on the left.

The graphic below from Understat shows how similar Alexander-Arnold and Trippier are when it comes to creative metrics across several seasons.

xGChain and xGBuildup are metrics that attempt to show a player’s contribution to attacks that lead to good chances on goal. Alexander-Arnold’s above average scores for these metrics are a result of his role for Liverpool as a creative right-back who is almost like an extra midfielder.

Trippier is slightly lower than Alexander-Arnold across some metrics, which is probably due to playing for teams who aren’t as attacking or as possession dominant as Liverpool, but he still shows up well and is likely to do so for Newcastle going forward.

Both offer a threat from set pieces, with Trippier perhaps the more dangerous from direct free kicks having already scored three for Newcastle in 2022, but Alexander-Arnold is creative from dead ball situations, too.

England have two very good players at their disposal in this particular role in this position, and they could be even more dangerous in attack with one of James or Walker alongside them.

Southgate considering Trippier the better player of the two for a World Cup at this moment in time is in many ways understandable, but leaving out Alexander-Arnold altogether, is not.