Thomas Tuchel applauded Trent Alexander-Arnold after the right-back delivered an impressive display in his first England appearance since June 2025.
Alexander-Arnold, eager to prove himself after being left out of the World Cup squad, emerged as one of England’s standout performers as Tuchel’s team responded to their loss against Spain with a convincing 2-0 Nations League victory in Czechia on Tuesday.
The Real Madrid defender was excellent on the ball, especially after Pavel Sulc was sent off while the match was still goalless. He also created England’s opening goal by providing the cross that Anthony Gordon converted early in the second half.
“We have always known that he is capable of delivering assists like that,” Tuchel said. “The slightly deeper role he occupied in the second half seemed to suit him better than the more advanced position he played in before the break. In general, it was a disciplined and professional performance from us, although the red card clearly had a major effect on the match.
“It was important to remain concentrated, and Trent played a significant role in helping us do that. He is composed in possession and can make the difference with his crossing. He defended reliably and produced the decisive contribution for our goal, so it was a strong all-round performance.”
Jude Bellingham began the match among the substitutes but took over the captain’s armband after replacing Harry Kane late in the game. “He previously captained the team against New Zealand before the World Cup,” Tuchel said. “Being given the armband is both recognition and a privilege. Anyone who finishes these matches as captain can certainly become the permanent captain in the future.
“He is really enjoying being part of the squad right now. We had a brief conversation today about his role. Emotionally, we wanted to give him another opportunity to start fresh, but logically we felt that around 30 minutes would be enough because he has not dealt with such a quick turnaround this season. Although he has managed it in the past, we did not want to test it for the first time this campaign. Even during his short appearance, however, his confidence and willingness to contribute from the bench were clear.”
England secured the result through a late Kane goal and now sit second in Group A3 following Spain’s 4-1 victory over Croatia. Their next fixture is away to Croatia on Saturday, and Tuchel is hopeful that Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly will have recovered from injury in time to return.
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