Trent Alexander-Arnold could have folded after being dropped... instead he typified the resilience of this England team, writes OLIVER HOLT

  • Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score England's winning penalty
  • The Liverpool man lost his place in the starting XI but still stepped up 
  • LISTEN to It's All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Should England captain Harry Kane be dropped for Netherlands semi-final?

By Oliver Holt

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England have not won any prizes for style at these Euros. They have not wowed us with free-flowing football. They have not swept teams aside. They have glimpsed doors ajar and, time after time, crept through them like silent assassins.

They have become masters at winning ugly and if it is not quite what many were expecting from a team that was acclaimed before it left for Germany as being of all the talents, there is still beauty to be found in their resilience and their cussed, determined, stubborn refusal to lose.

In past tournaments when England have struggled to find their fluency, they have been on an early plane home.


Roy Hodgson’s side was out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after eight days. At Euro 2016, England were humbled by Iceland in the last 16. We have not been very good at outstaying our welcome.

But this England team are different. They are still here, still fighting, still provoking the ire of fans at home who seem to be expecting Gareth Southgate’s side to play like Brazil at the 1982 World Cup.

Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score the winning penalty for England

Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score the winning penalty for England 

The Liverpool star stayed calm under pressure and fired his team into the semi-finals

The Liverpool star stayed calm under pressure and fired his team into the semi-finals 

That has not happened, but there is still much to admire about this team’s determination not to bow to adversity.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the players who personifies that quality. When Southgate abandoned the experiment of playing him in midfield midway through the second group game against Denmark, it felt as if his part in the tournament might have come to an end.

In his position, turned into a scapegoat, many might fold. Many might catastrophise or harbour resentment or retreat within themselves. Alexander-Arnold typified the resilience in this England team by taking a different path.

When England were labouring to keep Switzerland at bay in the second period of extra time in their quarter-final in Dusseldorf on Saturday evening, Southgate brought Alexander-Arnold off the bench and told him to try to win the game.

When that did not work, he was to win the game a different way. After the final whistle, Southgate let him know he had been selected to take the fifth penalty in the shootout, the kick that often takes the greatest nerve, the one that decides the game and did again in Dusseldorf.

‘It was exciting,’ Alexander-Arnold said after he sauntered into England’s media base near their team hotel in eastern Germany on Monday.

‘On the walk up to the spot, you know what you are going to execute and you have practised for it. I was fortunate to have an opportunity to book us a place in the semis. It’s positive pressure.

Alexander-Arnold started England's first two games of the tournament but lost his place

Alexander-Arnold started England's first two games of the tournament but lost his place 

‘I’ve never been in that position before to score a winning penalty, so it was a new experience for me. I was more excited than nervous. There was no part of me that was nervous. I enjoy those moments.

‘I’m a player who enjoys being in big games, big moments and winning. You’ve got it planned out in your head and I was able to execute it.’

Everything Alexander-Arnold talked about on Monday was built around the theme of strength in adversity. He spoke admiringly of England’s under-pressure captain Harry Kane, who has not appeared fully fit in this tournament and struggled against the Swiss.

He was asked if his Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who will be at the heart of the Dutch defence on Wednesday, would be happy if England dropped Kane.

‘Anyone who is facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing,’ Alexander-Arnold said. ‘Anything in and around the box, you need to be on red alert — he is the best finisher I have seen or played with.’

Alexander-Arnold warmed to that theme. He spoke, too, about the criticism that has been aimed at Southgate, the qualities the England manager possesses and the belief he has instilled in this group of players.

‘In this tournament, more so than ever, we have shown the fight and tenacity to come back in knockout games,’ the Liverpool vice-captain said.

He could have folded after being dropped but instead he typified the team's resilience

He could have folded after being dropped but instead he typified the team's resilience 

‘No matter what has been thrown at us and no matter what people say, we believe, we keep ourselves in a bubble and we work hard, we fight for each other and this comes from the manager. We think we are good enough to beat any team that is up against us.

‘All 26 of us want to play as many minutes as we can. Obviously, that isn’t possible, so the manager has to pick a team and we all respect his decisions. No matter how many minutes you play and when you get on the pitch, you have a role to play.

‘We all buy into that and have bought into that from the very beginning. No matter what role you play, you earn your medal. You see that togetherness in the group.

‘The game takes you on a journey. Of course, I would have liked to keep my position in the team and be starting every game, but the manager has made decisions and I respect his decisions. And they have worked — we are still in the competition. We are looking forward to a semi-final.

‘No matter what, the team always comes first and you have to buy into that to give the team the best chance possible and be ready for your moment whenever that comes. Be ready for your moment — that’s what the mentality is.

‘There’s no negative vibes or energy around any of the decisions that get made.

‘You’ve got to be ready for the moment when it comes and I think the other day against Switzerland, I epitomised that more than anything.

Alexander-Arnold has put his personal disappointment behind him and could still have a crucial role to play at the Euros

Alexander-Arnold has put his personal disappointment behind him and could still have a crucial role to play at the Euros

‘The journey I’ve been on throughout football so far has taken me to ups and downs. My high moments and low moments. And it’s in those times that you realise what you can put yourself through mentally and what you can overcome.

‘So whatever the game throws at me now, I feel like I’m in a position to deal with it and be able to perform and do the best in whatever role that is. I see that throughout the whole team.

‘Everyone has their own story and their own journey, where they have to overcome setbacks and things that could have got them down. Everyone goes through their own things, whether it is on the pitch or off it.

‘It’s how you bounce back.’