England have been blessed at right back in recent years with Kyle Walker, arguably the best in the position they’ve produced, holding it down. Now, there are two contenders ready to take up the mantle at next year’s World Cup.
Both James (25) and Alexander-Arnold (27) have spent years on the sidelines awaiting their breakthrough. The question now is which player Thomas Tuchel will choose as his primary right-back in his quest for football’s greatest trophy.
The case for Reece James
It’s rare that the side playing the best football wins an international tournament, though there have of course been exceptions. Tuchel’s lads will have to be defensively solid against the best players on the planet.
There are plenty of videos circulating on social media of wingers admitting that James is the hardest opponent they’ve come up against, and compared to Alexander-Arnold, his defensive numbers are impressive.
Across his seven Premier League appearances so far, James has the highest number of interceptions amongst his teammates with 11, has won 29 duels with a 55.8% success rate, and has only been dribbled past twice.
With all of that being said, James carries more of a direct goal threat than Alexander-Arnold too, with 14 goals in his 199 appearances for Chelsea, while the former Liverpool man had 23 in 354 games for his boyhood club.
James scored his first England goal with a fantastic free-kick in the 3-0 World Cup qualifier against Latvia back in March, although suggesting he’s a better set-piece taker than Alexander-Arnold would be a bit of a stretch.
What's more, the Alexander-Arnold in midfield experiment has been touted time and time again, but there is very little evidence to suggest it actually works; James, on the other hand, has shifted into midfield at club level with relative success, although it’s clear his best position is still at right-back.
He has also been deployed as a centre-back at times, something Alexander-Arnold’s defensive deficiencies wouldn’t allow. James’ strength and ability to play line splitting passes has even seen many suggest that is where his future lies.
At the World Cup, versatility is a huge asset for any manager. With a limited squad, having players capable of playing in several positions to help fill a void should someone get injured or suspended can prove invaluable.
It’s fair to say that James is a more well-rounded option than Alexnader-Arnold, a jack of all trades compared to his counterpart’s more specialist abilities. One major downside with James, however, is his fitness concerns.
James has missed a massive 145 games for club and country since breaking into the first team at Chelsea, that’s a grand total of 743 days on the sidelines. He also had to withdraw from Tuchel’s most recent squad due to injury.
The case for Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is very clearly out of favour under Tuchel. He is to start a game for the German, with his only appearance coming as a late substitute in the dull 1-0 win over Andorra back in June.
He hasn’t featured in an England squad since then, although this time he was omitted due to injury rather than his on-pitch issues. Speaking after the squad was announced for the September international break, Tuchel admitted leaving him out that time was due to a “competitive decision.”
Tuchel said: "I spoke to Trent. It was a difficult phone call but I wanted him to hear it from me, which he appreciated, and he was very clear that he’s desperate and keen to come back and play for England.
“It’s all in the mix, but it is a competitive decision. And just to make the competition a little bit more spicy. First and foremost, I think Trent is a player who needs to feel trust and love from his manager and teammates and from his club, his country and the fans. He needs that."
Moving to Real Madrid hasn’t helped his cause. Not only is he having to learn a new language, a new culture, and an entirely new way of playing football, but he doesn’t appear to be Xabi Alonso’s first choice just yet.
Alexander-Arnold has started just two La Liga games so far this season, with his most notable contribution coming in the 2-1 win over Mallorca, in which he made one tackle, three recoveries, three interceptions, and one great clearance off the goal line.
Still, Alexander-Arnold is a unicorn of a right-back. His contributions higher up the pitch are impossible to ignore; he is the Premier League defender with the highest number of assists after all.
His passing range helped Liverpool get out of trouble and start deadly counterattacks time and time again, and now that he’s gone, that attacking output is being keenly felt by Arne Slot’s Premier League champions.
Verdict
Tuchel has admitted that James is his current first choice for the position, going as far as putting Newcastle’s Tino Livramento and Arsenal’s Ben White ahead of Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order.
At this moment in time, James offers more than Alexander-Arnold, who appears to be in danger of missing out on a place in the squad altogether. The former Liverpool man certainly has a mountain to climb if he wants to change that.