'Axed Alexander-Arnold faces fight for club and country'
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has been left facing an uphill fight on two fronts after he was dropped by England coach Thomas Tuchel for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
The 26-year-old's dream move from Liverpool to Real Madrid suffered an undistinguished start when he was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the win against Oviedo after being taken off 68 minutes into his La Liga debut against Osasuna.
And now, with his exclusion from the latest England squad, it is clear Alexander-Arnold has a battle to figure in next summer's World Cup after Tuchel's latest demonstration that he is far from convinced by the full-back.
The German made all the right noises, but has previously barely disguised his reservations about Alexander-Arnold defensively, even to the extent of picking his former Liverpool team-mate Curtis Jones, an established midfielder, ahead of him for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra in June.
Alexander-Arnold only played 26 minutes as a substitute in that game, then did not figure at all in the subsequent friendly defeat to Senegal at the City Ground in Nottingham.
And if he did not know already that he has work to do to fit into Tuchel's plans leading up to the World Cup, he certainly knows now.
When asked about leaving out Alexander-Arnold and Jack Grealish, who has made a fine start on loan at Everton, Tuchel said: "We decided for a tighter, more competitive squad.
There is no doubt I am a big fan of Trent and Jack Grealish.
"Big players and big personalities, always in the mix.
I know both are desperate but in this camp we decided for Reece James and [Tino] Livramento in Trent's position, and in Jack's position Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze."
The England boss sounded the alarm bells for Alexander-Arnold before those games in June when he openly questioned his defensive ability, saying he must take that aspect of his game "very, very seriously".
"I can see that sometimes he relies heavily on his offensive contributions and gives not so much emphasis on the defensive discipline and effort," added Tuchel.
"This major impact that he had for Liverpool over so many years… if he wants to have this impact in the English national team then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously.
"Because when we are talking, especially about qualifying football, and then tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100% awake, can be decisive.