Thomas Tuchel praised Trent Alexander-Arnold after the right-back made his first England appearance since June 2025, describing his contribution as a big help in a comfortable 2-0 Nations League win away to Czechia on Tuesday.
Alexander-Arnold, who has a point to prove after missing out on a World Cup spot, was among the standout performers as Tuchel’s side recovered from their defeat to Spain. The Real Madrid defender shone in possession, particularly once the Czechs were reduced to ten men, and provided the cross from which Anthony Gordon opened the scoring early in the second half.
The game turned on Pavel Sulc’s red card, which came with the score at 0-0. Tuchel acknowledged how heavily that moment shaped the contest, saying the sending-off was “such a heavy influence in the game”, while also crediting his team with a good and professional performance.
The England manager said he had never doubted Alexander-Arnold’s ability to deliver in the final third. Tuchel felt the second-half role, played in a deeper position, suited the defender better than the higher berth he occupied in the first half. “We need to keep focused, and Trent was a big help in this, because he’s very secure on the ball and can be decisive with his crosses,” Tuchel said. “He did this solid defending and one decisive action that helped us score, so a good performance overall.”
Jude Bellingham began the match on the bench but ended it wearing the captain’s armband after replacing Harry Kane during the closing stages. Tuchel, who noted that Bellingham had captained England against New Zealand before the World Cup, called the role a reward and an honour, and suggested that finishing matches as captain could mark a player out for the permanent job. The manager explained that the plan to use the midfielder for around 30 minutes was shaped by his limited exposure to a quick turnaround during the season, a workload England did not want to be the first to test. Even so, Tuchel said Bellingham looked confident and happy to help from the bench, and described a short conversation with the player about his role in which the feeling was to start again.
Kane’s late goal sealed the win and moved England clear. They sit second in Group A3 after Spain’s 4-1 victory over Croatia, with a trip to Croatia next on Saturday. Tuchel is hopeful that the Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly will return from injury in time.