{"id":299704,"date":"2023-11-17T23:25:17","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T23:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=299704"},"modified":"2023-11-17T23:25:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T23:25:17","slug":"sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/","title":{"rendered":"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold flicked through his full repertoire against Malta and passed the test with flying colours&#8230; It&#8217;s time to see if he can hold his own in England&#8217;s engine room against better opposition<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>England beat Malta 2-0 to stay unbeaten in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Trent Alexander-Arnold was deployed in a more advanced position in midfield<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Southgate&#8217;s loyalty to his players is an issue and a weakness &#8211;\u00a0It&#8217;s All Kicking off<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Trent Alexander-Arnold received the ball on the half-turn before the surveying the landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Like a trigger, he draws back his left foot before firing the ammunition.<\/p>\n<p>The pass is executed with faultless accuracy. Marcus Rashford didn\u2019t break stride as England ventured into attack.<\/p>\n<p>All with his unfavored foot. Minute 30: Alexander-Arnold, just inside Malta\u2019s half, accepts possession again.<\/p>\n<p>Head up &#8211; bang. This time Harry Kane\u2019s the beneficiary of what is the poetic beauty of the Liverpool man\u2019s right foot, the 25-year-old\u2019s raking 40-yard pass falling on a sixpence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/21\/77947909-0-image-a-4_1700258301100.jpg\" height=\"453\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Trent Alexander-Arnold started from midfield as England defeated Malta 2-0 at Wembley\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/21\/77947963-0-image-a-5_1700258309849.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>He played in a more advanced position on the night, stepping into midfield alongside Conor Gallagher and Jordan Henderson<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/22\/77948219-0-image-a-6_1700258433509.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>It seems it could be a position that Gareth Southgate could look to deploy him in the future<\/p>\n<p>Wearing England\u2019s iconic No 10 shirt, Alexander-Arnold flicked through his full repertoire here at a sold out Wembley.<\/p>\n<p>One and two touch passing. Dropping in-between centre-backs to initiate attacks. Unerringly precise mid-to-long range balls. Driving runs into the opposition\u2019s half before releasing with impeccable timing.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s nothing we didn\u2019t already know, of course. Alexander-Arnold is a thoroughbred. A supremely gifted footballer.<\/p>\n<p>But before we all get excited, what did we really learn about the Anfield star\u2019s true capabilities of holding down a long-term role in England\u2019s midfield on Friday night?<\/p>\n<p>Malta are rated as the 171st best team on the planet by FIFA; as eye-catching as this performance appeared at first glance the quality of the opposition shouldn\u2019t be discounted when dissecting the merits of fully converting Alexander-Arnold from marauding full-back to midfield maestro at international level.<\/p>\n<p>That isn\u2019t to detract from his performance in anyway. You can only beat what\u2019s in front of you.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s time for us to learn more about whether Alexander-Arnold can become a genuine midfield option for Gareth Southgate.<\/p>\n<p>He passed this test with flying colours. It\u2019s time to see if he can hold his own in the engine room against better opposition.<\/p>\n<p>England face North Macedonia on Monday night in their final Euro 2024 qualifier. That would be a perfect place to start.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/22\/77947939-0-image-a-7_1700258439644.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Alexander-Arnold played some brilliant passes through midfield and dropped back in-between centre-backs to initiate attacks<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/22\/77943477-0-image-a-9_1700258459448.jpg\" height=\"456\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Phil Foden helped England go 1-0 up, after his cut back was deflected by Enrico Pepe into his own net<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/22\/77945637-0-image-a-8_1700258451790.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Harry Kane got the second on the 75th minute of the match, tapping in a well-worked team move<\/p>\n<p>North Macedonia are ranked 66th by FIFA. If Alexander-Arnold can replicate this sort of showing in Skopje next week then the midfield experiment is worth persisting with.<\/p>\n<p>If he passes that test, then England face Brazil and Belgium in March. Do it then, then Southgate may really be on to something.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander-Arnold would be the first to admit he needs more time to adapt to the subtle nuances of becoming a bona fide central midfielder.<\/p>\n<p>The right-back\/midfield hybrid role he has excelled in under Jurgen Klopp will aid his transition towards a more advanced position at international level.<\/p>\n<p>But nothing can quite prepare you for the helter-skelter nature of a central midfield battle at the elite level than being involved in one every three days.<\/p>\n<p>For all intents and purposes, Alexander-Arnold, despite the tactical tweaks to his game at Liverpool, is still effectively playing at full-back with Liverpool.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say he doesn\u2019t posses the football intelligence to switch between the two positions. You need only look at the way he controlled this football match from start to finish to realise he does.<\/p>\n<p>Yet whether Southgate believes he can truly rely on a defender in midfield during the unrivalled pressure of tournament football remains to be seen.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s for sure is that Alexander-Arnold is desperate to make a fist of an England career that has been dogged by endless negative rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p>He was kicked from pillar to post by the Maltese on more than one occasion only to dust himself down and drive his team forward.<\/p>\n<p>That won\u2019t have gone unnoticed by Southgate.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I see an opportunity for me to go and play in the Euros and represent my country. It\u2019s an opportunity I want to go and take,\u2019 Alexander-Arnold said on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>And all of a sudden there\u2019s a real anticipation about what Alexander-Arnold can achieve in an England shirt.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t too long ago that Southgate\u2019s press conferences were dominated by questions over whether he truly rated Alexander-Arnold after leaving him out of numerous squads.<\/p>\n<p>Those doubts, at least for now, have subsided. The player deserves the majority of credit for that mood swing.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/22\/77948483-0-image-a-11_1700258890661.jpg\" height=\"441\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>And while he enjoyed a solid performance in midfield, it is perhaps time to see if Alexander-Arnold can hold his own against better opposition in midfield<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/22\/77947925-0-image-a-10_1700258605817.jpg\" height=\"465\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>But that could depend on how he fits into the team with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham being Southgate&#8217;s first choices in midfield\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off\u00a0is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>But Klopp and Southgate should also be applauded for having the gumption to give their player a platform to showcase his talents further up the field.<\/p>\n<p>With all that said, there\u2019s the minor matter of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham to consider when discussing the true authenticity of Alexander-Arnold\u2019s claims to be an international midfielder.<\/p>\n<p>If Kalvin Phillips leaves Manchester City in January and plays regularly for six months, then you\u2019d imagine he will have an excellent chance of taking the final midfield position at Euro 2024.<\/p>\n<p>But further exhibitions of control and zest like this one from Alexander-Arnold, then Southgate could have a decision to make.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12763755\/SAMI-MOKBEL-Trent-Alexander-Arnold-England-Malta-test.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold flicked through his full repertoire against Malta and passed the test with flying colours&#8230; It&#8217;s time to <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&amp;apos;s midfield test - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&amp;apos;s midfield test - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold flicked through his full repertoire against Malta and passed the test with flying colours&#8230; It&#8217;s time to &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-17T23:25:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SAMI-MOKBEL-Trent-Alexander-Arnold-passed-Englandaposs-midfield-test.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dennis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/\",\"name\":\"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test - Sportstons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-17T23:25:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-17T23:25:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Soccer\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/soccer\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sportstons\",\"description\":\"sportstons.com\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"Dennis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dennis\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test - Sportstons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test - Sportstons","og_description":"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold flicked through his full repertoire against Malta and passed the test with flying colours&#8230; It&#8217;s time to &hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/","og_site_name":"Sportstons","article_published_time":"2023-11-17T23:25:17+00:00","author":"Dennis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/SAMI-MOKBEL-Trent-Alexander-Arnold-passed-Englandaposs-midfield-test.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dennis","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/","name":"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test - Sportstons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-11-17T23:25:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-17T23:25:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/sami-mokbel-trent-alexander-arnold-passed-englands-midfield-test\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Soccer","item":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/category\/soccer\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"SAMI MOKBEL: Trent\u00a0Alexander-Arnold passed England&apos;s midfield test"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/","name":"Sportstons","description":"sportstons.com","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"Dennis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dennis"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}