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Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment means England may have found their ‘quarterback’
Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment means England may have found their ‘quarterback’
If ever there was a night to try things, it was this, and so it was for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Playing in a role that was more quarterback than that associated with the No 10 on his shirt, the Liverpool star decorated an otherwise drab 4-0 win over Malta with a series of sublime balls. One of those was a brilliant strike to make it 2-0, as Alexander-Arnold at least gave Gareth Southgate something to think about from a game almost everyone else will instantly forget. There is of course a danger in reading too much into a game as utterly routine as this, but you might say it’s a start. That’s actually been rare enough with Alexander-Arnold for England, since this was remarkably only his 19th appearance. If these sort of matches have always provoked debate about whether they should even be taking place, such is the extent of the mismatch, the one element of tension is how long it will take the superior side to score. Southgate had direct knowledge of that given it was his last match in this stadium that was one of his most dismal nights with England. A goalless first half led to away fans booing and cries that the team were “sh*t”. “We’re not,” Southgate chuckled on the eve of the game here, and his players went out and proved that within eight minutes. The irony was the scoreline was exactly the same as that more miserable experience, even though England are a completely different team. The ability to use Alexander-Arnold like this showed that. He played one of many divine balls, Bukayo Saka hit it across goal and Ferdinando Apap just about denied Kane. The problem was that he denied the striker by putting it into his own goal. That was that, the game then effectively a training session, if maybe not quite as intense as the ones the players had this week. It was one of those where everyone could try things, as the circumstances led to some experimentation. James Maddison displayed real innovation with some of his touches, and it was one superb turn that set up England’s second. While the Leicester playmaker completely opened up the space around Malta’s box, he was then blocked down only for the ball to fall to Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool star showed another from his array of deliveries by driving a superb long-range strike over the stranded Henry Bonello. The goalkeeper was at the edge of his six-yard box, but it was still sublime for Alexander-Arnold to put it where he did. There’s almost an elite golfer’s quality to him, a player who can barely be called a defender at this point. Alexander-Arnold has every single shot in his bag. He went on to emphasise that with the next goal, again supplying the pass, only for Kane to this time be felled by Matthew Gullaumier. Kane of course supplied the finish for the penalty. That made it 56 international goals in 83 games, only adding to that all-time record. This game wasn’t going down in history, though. It had barely anything of note other than Alexander-Arnold’s deployment and a few interesting appearances, as well as Ebe Eze’s debut. The England fans evidently felt the same. By about midway through the second half, the away end had significantly thinned, with the majority of the fans headed out for the local nightspots of St Julian’s. You could probably add your own line about celebrations given how much Gareth Southgate was pressed on Manchester City’s festivities before the game. He did introduce Phil Foden in the second half, amid a raft of substitutes that included Eze. One of them, Callum Wilson, also ensured the trip was worth it. The Newcastle United striker hit his second goal for England, benefiting from a penalty after the ball had somewhat unluckily hit Steve Borg’s arm. It only displayed how misguided the current rules on that are. The idea of Alexander-Arnold as a playmaker or quarterback, though, now has that bit more logic to it. The case is growing, even if it will require a few more exacting tests. Read More Gareth Southgate urges players not to cross the line with celebrations England’s future is about to be defined – and it’s out of Gareth Southgate’s control Marcus Rashford reveals pain that is ‘relighting the flame’ inside him England fans soak up the Malta sun and discuss tactics ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier Marcus Rashford couldn’t stomach Man City celebrations but England remain united ‘Serial winners’ can help England finally celebrate silverware – Tyrone Mings
2023-06-17 05:34
Tech Investors Bet on AI, Leave Crypto Behind
Tech Investors Bet on AI, Leave Crypto Behind
Silicon Valley venture capitalists are racing to get into artificial intelligence companies — including investors who once bet
2023-07-12 02:01
Best Automaton Weapon Loadout Warzone Pacific Season 3
Best Automaton Weapon Loadout Warzone Pacific Season 3
Here are the attachments to use for the best Automaton loadout in Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific Season 3.
1970-01-01 08:00
WisdomTree Files to Start a US Spot Bitcoin ETF on the Heels of BlackRock’s Application
WisdomTree Files to Start a US Spot Bitcoin ETF on the Heels of BlackRock’s Application
WisdomTree is trying again for permission to start a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund in the US, submitting an
2023-06-21 07:54
A homeless man is charged with capital murder and rape in the death of a 5-year-old Kansas girl
A homeless man is charged with capital murder and rape in the death of a 5-year-old Kansas girl
A homeless man has been charged with murder and rape in the killing of a 5-year-old girl in Topeka, Kansas
2023-10-06 05:37
Dollar on back foot as U.S. default risk weighs
Dollar on back foot as U.S. default risk weighs
By Kevin Buckland TOKYO The U.S. dollar remained under pressure on Tuesday, weighed down by the risk of
2023-05-16 12:19
‘Little baby’ Elon Musk had meltdown on Tesla earnings call, analyst claims
‘Little baby’ Elon Musk had meltdown on Tesla earnings call, analyst claims
Elon Musk has been accused of acting like “a little baby” and being “almost in tears” during an earnings call in which the billionaire struck a pessimistic tone about the economy. The Tesla CEO’s behaviour on the third-quarter earnings call was slammed as “terrible” by financial analyst Kevin Paffrath and the electric automaker’s stock price dropped 15 per cent in the two days following it. “For a leader to cry about the economy rather than funnelling that and coming up with a plan is pathetic,” Mr Paffrath, who owns Tesla stock, told Yahoo Finance. And he added: “We need to know the light is at the end of the tunnel rather than hearing a complaining CEO who’s not actually providing that path.” Tesla reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter results, with both earnings per share and revenue of $23.35bn falling short of analysts’ estimates, according to Yahoo Finance. But despite the issues as of Friday, the company’s share price was up 96 per cent year-to-date. Mr Paffrath, a YouTuber with 1.9 million followers, was not the only analyst to criticise Mr Musk’s performance. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives described the call as a “mini disaster” during which a “cautious” Mr Musk downplayed expectations for the Cybertruck and focused on high interest rates. “We dug our own grave with Cybertruck” Mr Musk said on the call, calling it a “great product” but also said he wanted to “temper expectations” for the long-awaited pickup truck. “Demand is off the charts. We have over 1 million people who have reserved the car, so it’s not a demand issue,” he said. “But we have to make it, and we need to make it a price that people can afford, insanely difficult things.” The Independent has reached out to Tesla for comment. Read More Slack to retire its status account on Elon Musk’s X Tesla’s profits dip as Musk goes on rant about staff working from home Elon Musk’s X may charge some users $1 a year to post on platform
2023-10-24 02:18
'They probably can’t afford us' Amanda Seyfried reveals what it would take for Mamma Mia 3 to happen
'They probably can’t afford us' Amanda Seyfried reveals what it would take for Mamma Mia 3 to happen
'Mamma Mia' star Amanda Seyfried believes the likelihood of a third film in the franchise could "come down to something stupid like whether or not Universal wants to pay the money", and the actress isn't sure the company could "afford" to give the stars what would be "fair".
2023-09-14 15:00
Six Nations and SANZAAR plan new biennial international rugby competition
Six Nations and SANZAAR plan new biennial international rugby competition
A new biennial international rugby competition featuring teams from the Six Nations and the southern hemisphere is set to start in 2026
2023-07-01 18:56
Deco reveals how Barcelona plan to replace Gavi
Deco reveals how Barcelona plan to replace Gavi
Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed how the club plan to replace the injured Gavi amid speculation they could turn to the transfer market for a big-money replacement.
2023-11-23 00:10
Inside the Biden White House's intentionally quiet response to Trump's federal charges
Inside the Biden White House's intentionally quiet response to Trump's federal charges
At the very moment former President Donald Trump was pulling into an underground garage at the federal courthouse in Miami, his successor was 40 minutes into a meeting about Ukraine's nascent counteroffensive with NATO's secretary general.
2023-06-14 12:26
Andrew Tate gives sneak peek into 'movie'-like night out after release from house arrest, trolls say 'lock him up'
Andrew Tate gives sneak peek into 'movie'-like night out after release from house arrest, trolls say 'lock him up'
Andrew Tate, along with his sibling Tristan Tate, has successfully overturned a legal decision that allowed them to end their period of house arrest
2023-08-12 13:35