Liverpool and England icon shocked by Thomas Tuchel’s Trent Alexander-Arnold decision
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John Barnes has admitted he was surprised by Thomas Tuchel’s decision to omit Trent Alexander-Arnold from the current England squad.
The former Liverpool defender was not selected despite his recent high-profile move to Real Madrid, with Tuchel instead opting for Reece James and Tino Livramento as the right-backs for the matches against Andorra and Serbia.
Tuchel admitted James, who he worked with at Chelsea, is ahead of Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order, adding the new Real defender needs to “settle and find his rhythm” in the Spanish capital.
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“Thomas Tuchel has said that Reece James is the one who's going to play there.
“I don't necessarily think a right-back position is a position that is too influential like if you leave out a no.10 or a goal scorer.
“But a right-back position is something that you can cope with.
But Barnes admits he has some sympathy for Tuchel, given how little time he has to work with the players.
“It was always going to be a comedown after Gareth [Southgate],” said the former Liverpool star
“I think we're just having a few teething problems of him getting the team that he actually wants and how they want to play, the players understanding what they want from him because he's changing things.
“You get them for one week before they play and how are you going to put a pattern or a system into place?
“So international managers are about just massaging your ego, letting them go and letting them play, which Gareth was very good at
So there are certain managers that are suited to club football and some for international football.”
Barnes was speaking to Liverpool.com in association with Premier League player, PICO and Rezzil.
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