Trent Alexander-Arnold was initially snubbed by Thomas Tuchel in his primary England squad. When Tino Livramento needed to be replaced this week, Tuchel snubbed him again.
There were two perfect opportunities for Trent to make the England team alongside Jude Bellingham, but Tuchel said no both times. Instead, he has gone with Reece James as the starting right-back, and to replace Tino Livramento, he's opted for Trevoh Chalobah.
The real reason Thomas Tuchel doesn't want Trent Alexander-Arnold at the World Cup
Thomas Tuchel is clearly focused on tournament football. He isn't solely planning for the group stage, but the knockout rounds too.
He's proven with Chelsea in the past that he can defy the odds and win a tournament that he has no right winning, and it's by placing as much attention on the squad as the starting lineup.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is good enough to start for England, but he won't. Reece James is arguably the best right-back in the world, so whenever he is fit, Trent will play second fiddle to him.
England has a very clear distinction between the starting lineup and the subsitutes. A large chunk of the substitutes, including the likes of Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento before he was injured, are used to not being in the starting lineups for their teams.
To Tuchel, it seems that a substitute needs to be good enough to start, but humble enough to be on the bench. Trent, understandably, would have a harder time accepting a bench role.
It doesn't make the decision any less strange, of course. Trent is capable of playing for Real Madrid, so he's more than capable of playing for England. It doesn't take a genius-level analyst to figure that one out.
That said, looking at the different squad roles, you can kind of understand where Tuchel is coming from. Kind of.
Many of Tuchel's decisions leading into this World Cup have been questionable to say the least. He is under a bunch of scrutiny since he's expected to finish the job that Gareth Southgate started, so leaving Trent out of the fray despite two opportunities to include him is bound to be under the question.
However, Tuchel is the manager. He is going to do things his way, in the exact same manner he's done at other clubs. You can call it stubborn, you can call it unjust, heck, we'd agree with you.
If England win the World Cup, though, nobody is going to bat an eyelid at Trent being snubbed. It is simply a risk that Tuchel is taking.
At the end of the day, it's no inconvenience for Real Madrid. They'll happily keep Trent fresh for the season ahead.
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