The drama in UEFA Euro 2024 keeps continuing. England has made a dramatic entry into the quarterfinals this time, but not before some severe struggles. Jude Bellingham bailed Gareth Southgate and his men out in the round of 16 through a scintillating goal. But the journey throughout hasn’t been pleasurable for fans or even experts. Nevertheless, Trent Alexander-Arnold was the one player who was penalized by Southgate after a couple of games in the group stage and even rued of missing Kalvin Phillips in the same position. Nevertheless, a former English national player discussed why the English coach was mistaken in evaluating the Liverpool superstar.

Speaking in an interview with Genting Casino, Chris Waddle expressed that Trent-Alexander-Arnold shouldn’t have been blamed for his performance in the midfield in Euros. He stated, “Trent’s not being used in the right way. It’s not fair for Trent to be made into a scapegoat–the overall team performance wasn’t good enough,” citing that he was at his best playing in the defense. After the draw against Denmark, Southgate claimed the move was an experiment that did not work.

He further explained that the team did not have a natural player like Phillips in the position and benched Alexander-Arnold thereafter. However, the move and the comments received backlash. Waddle continued, “It’s an odd comment because they are two totally different players. Trent is not being picked to replicate what Phillips did, he must be getting picked for his ability on the ball, ” suggesting that such a player needs flexibility.

The entire team was underperforming except Marc Guehi felt the former player. He also suggested that Southgate should have called out the whole group. Even other pundits, including Wayner Rooney, took a dig at the midfield experiment.

Why playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in the midfield was wrong?

Notably, Waddle felt Southgate misunderstood the strengths of Trent Alexander-Arnold. According to him, “Trent has tremendous passing range,” with his club Liverpool, but he also has players to run for such passes. Since England doesn’t have such runners, Trent isn’t playing his normal game, expressed Waddle. He then suggested that it was better to play him at the right-back or bring players who keep anticipating his passes.

Overall, the Three Lions will feel better after scoring a couple of goals against Slovakia. Nevertheless, their performance until Bellingham’s goal was also a bit blunt, which will keep Southgate thinking about his tactics. As they take on Switzerland in the round of 16 on Saturday, his chances will be interesting to watch.