Who Scored revealed before the game in Skopje that Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold is the highest-rated England player in Euro 2024 qualifying. This was good news for fans of the midfielder. In three races, he had a very good 8.08 average. Another English player didn’t even come close.

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That being said, it would be hard to say that Alexander-Arnold was important to England’s progress. They gave him a bad score because he only started three games, two of which were away against North Macedonia and one at home against Malta. He didn’t play in their games against Italy or Ukraine, which were their real opponents for qualifying. Alexander-Arnold did well even though things were average.

‘Highest-rated’ England player Trent Alexander-Arnold shrinks at the first sign of center pressure

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After the win over Malta on Friday, Gareth Southgate praised him and another player, and for good reason. When Alexander-Arnold has the ball and time, he can always choose a pass and turn the play around. The England boss, on the other hand, said that his players “didn’t extend themselves” because they didn’t have to. When they played North Macedonia at Old Trafford, it was the same, but not this time, and Trent was let down.

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“I haven’t had much experience in there, so I’m still learning on the job,” Alexander-Arnold said this week about his move to central midfield. On Monday, it was clear that he meant what he said. At the first real sign of pressure in the part he wants to be picked for Euro 2024, he showed why, at his current level of education, he probably shouldn’t make the Germany team. He played like he was just starting out.

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Five times, he lost the ball, which was three more times than any other England player and more than anyone else on the field. He was slow to get the ball and looked like he didn’t know where he was meant to be when he got it back. When North Macedonia broke in large numbers, he didn’t do much to help Declan Rice.

As his anger mounted in the second half, he dove deep to receive the ball from Jordan Pickford, messed up a crossfield pass that went to the other team, and then got the ball back only to lose it again in 15 seconds, summing up a terrible game in his midfield development. He got a yellow card for throwing the ball away right before he was replaced. He may have been angry at both his own play and the referee’s ruling against him.

English vs. North Macedonia: Euro 2024 qualifying live

Alexander-Arnold’s growth shouldn’t continue into a big tournament after this performance. When the draw takes place early next month, all of the teams that England is paired with will be better than North Macedonia. England would be better off with James Ward-Prowse as a choice against those stronger teams than with a right back playing in the middle of the field.

Starting Ward-Prowse instead of Alexander-Arnold wouldn’t change the set-piece delivery in any way. Perhaps more importantly, the Liverpool star wasn’t very aware of what was going on in dead-ball situations on Monday because he was under a lot of pressure in open play. England scored from the first corner he missed after three failed attempts. Though Phil Foden is a good player and could easily fill in for Alexander-Arnold, Alexander-Arnold’s shooting is still very good.

Rico Lewis, a rising star for Man City, says something about a man from Liverpool. — The Liverpool Echo

Monday, Alexander-Arnold had the lowest rating of any player. The only player with a lower rating than him was Rico Lewis, whose numbers are greatly affected by the fact that he gave up a penalty that wasn’t his fault. At the first sign of pressure, go from best to worst; if Trent is going to Germany, he should play right back.