Tuchel picks Chalobah over Alexander-Arnold to fill Livramento's World Cup squad spot

Thomas Tuchel has shut the door on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s World Cup hopes after choosing Trevoh Chalobah as the replacement for the injured Tino Livramento, whose tournament-ending calf injury had briefly raised the prospect of a late call-up for the Real Madrid full-back.

Tuchel explained the decision in straightforward tactical terms: “We called Trevoh Chalobah because then we free up Jarell Quansah as full-back on both sides and Djed Spence can play both sides as full-back, so Trevoh comes as a centre-back alternative and gives us full coverage in the back four.”

The choice is the latest chapter in a difficult 12 months for Alexander-Arnold, 27, who endured a testing debut season at Real Madrid after leaving Liverpool and has now been passed over by England on multiple occasions under Tuchel.

The German coach has consistently offered measured praise of Alexander-Arnold while stopping short of selecting him. After leaving the full-back out of the March friendlies, Tuchel acknowledged the quality of the player but pointed to a shift in England’s tactical identity as the reason for his absence. “We created a slightly different game model when he was not in camp in September, October, November,” Tuchel said. “It was a game model built on intensity, built on positivity, built even in the profile of the right full-back on overlaps and underlaps, very intense. So it was a slightly different profile of players who were with us in camp and who performed so well. It is a very hard decision.”

Tuchel has also been candid about his reservations over Alexander-Arnold’s defensive work. When leaving him out of qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in August, the head coach issued a direct challenge to the player: “If he wants to have this impact in the English national team, then he has to take the defensive part very, very seriously. Because when we are talking, especially about qualifying football, and then tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100 per cent awake, can be decisive.”

On Alexander-Arnold’s reaction to his earlier omissions, Tuchel said: “We had a call. I tried to explain the situation but Trent just has to accept it. I know that it creates noise when you leave a player like Trent out. It’s a sportive choice and a difficult choice. Maybe it’s unfair to a certain degree but these choices have to be made.”

Practical factors also played a role in Chalobah’s selection, with the Chelsea defender already present in the United States when the vacancy arose.