Any of those same fans who were encouraged to watch the proceedings at Wembley would have been regretting that decision soon though. And it certainly was not through the fault of Alexander-Arnold.
A turgid display saw England labor to a 2-0 win over Malta, a side ranked 171st in FIFA’s world rankings between such football powerhouses as Fiji and Bermuda. Despite going 1-0 up early on through a fortunate own goal, the Three Lions didn’t register a shot on target until after the hour mark — it won’t surprise you to learn that it was Alexander-Arnold who broke that particular deadlock. The Liverpool academy product was one of the few positives to emerge for England at Wembley. The same can’t be said for his former club teammate though.
Jordan Henderson had another night to forget as he was given the nod yet again by Southgate. The England boss’ loyalty to the former Liverpool captain has baffled many following his move to Saudi Arabia, where he is playing in a far inferior league to the Premier League, and his recent performances for the national team have not done anything to quell any disquiet.
Having been booed following a subpar performance against Australia last month, Henderson was once again poor against Malta last night. His display even garnered a two out of 10 rating from Goal. While that might seem harsh, you certainly couldn’t make the argument for the 33-year-old to receive a much higher rating. His slow and ponderous play rather summed up England’s display, and it was telling that the Three Lions looked much brighter once he had been substituted in the second half.
If Henderson was hoping to make a point to Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp, then he has unquestionably failed. The midfielder suggested in an interview with The Athletic he left Anfield due to no longer feeling wanted at the club, a claim Klopp didn’t deny.
Liverpool fans’ apathy toward the England team might have dissipated a little when they saw Trent Alexander-Arnold’s name on the teamsheet on Friday night. So often snubbed by Gareth Southgate, Reds everywhere have regularly been left perplexed as to how the 25-year-old has just 22 caps to his name.
