GARY LINEKER has blasted Thomas Tuchel for his “distinctly odd” mistake after the England manager criticised Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking in May last year, Tuchel publicly revealed that the then- star, now at Real Madrid, needed to improve his defensive discipline to become a key international player.
Thomas Tuchel has been blasted by Gary Lineker for his public criticism of Trent Alexander-ArnoldCredit: Getty
Tuchel said last year that the right-back needed to improve the defensive side of his gameCredit: Getty
, 27, is widely recognised as one of the best attacking full-backs in football but has in a friendly win over Andorra last summer.
Tuchel, 52, has so far preferred to rely on his former Chelsea stalwart Reece James, 26.
The likes of Tottenham’s Djed Spence, 25, and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, 28, have also played on the right side of the German’s defence.
As a result, look bleak — with the defender also having struggled for form and fitness during his debut season at Real.
Reflecting on Trent’s lack of defensive nous, Tuchel previously said: “He sometimes relies heavily on his offensive contributions, but gives not so much emphasis on the defensive discipline and effort.
“This major impact that he had for Liverpool for so many years. If he wants to have this impact in the English national team then he has to take the defensive part very seriously.
“Because when we are talking, especially about qualifying football and tournament football, the one defensive error, the one moment where you are not 100 per cent awake, can be decisive.
“It can be the moment where you pack your suitcases and go home.”
Lineker believes Alexander-Arnold can still become a world-class midfielder
Now, former England striker Lineker has jumped to Alexander-Arnold’s defence by claiming Tuchel’s public blast was wrong.
Lineker, 65, reckons Trent has been unfairly targeted by critics, including England’s manager, and should instead be celebrated for his attacking style of play.
He also feels Alexander-Arnold has all the makings of a world-class midfielder — despite the Real star flopping as a No6 under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024.
Ultimately, Lineker — capped 80 times by his country — reckons Tuchel was out of order for his critical statement, and described the German’s remarks as “distinctly odd, unusual and a mistake.”
Having repeated Tuchel’s quotes about Trent on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said: “So not particularly supportive comments from Thomas Tuchel. And I don’t see why Tuchel would have said that. It’s a very bizarre statement for a manager to make.
“I remember thinking similar things at the time, but he’s the guy in charge so it doesn’t particularly bode well for Trent.
“He’s saying he’s not as strong defensively as he is attacking. Oh really? Who would have thought that?
“The reason for that is he’s one of the best attacking players in world football. I mean I’ve always been very pro-Trent.
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“The whole thing about his defensive side, if you play him that far forward and move him into midfield, there are going to be elements when you don’t defend particularly brilliantly.
“But other right-backs make mistakes as well and nobody says anything. If a player goes past Trent, it’s ‘oh see, there’s his weakness’.
“So it became this thing that people looked for, more than probably in reality that was there. No player can do everything brilliantly.
“If they do, they’re generally midfield players. I always thought Trent was a midfielder turned into a full-back at some point when he first got into the Liverpool side and never got shifted out.
“And on the occasions he’s been chucked into the England set-up as a midfielder, he hadn’t had that experience playing there over recent seasons so it’s difficult.
“But inside there is an absolutely brilliant midfield player and it’s a bit of a shame that he’s ended up having to play at full-back.
“Also you can’t have your coaches and managers talking negatively about you in public. That’s wrong, Tuchel shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know what possessed him to do it.
“If you think that, that’s fine and you can have private conversations with the player addressing the issues. But you don’t do that publicly just to justify your own decisions, it’s just wrong.
“(Trent wasn’t in the squad at time of comments). That’s why Tuchel was trying to justify it, maybe, I don’t know the reasons he would have said that.
“But it was distinctly odd, unusual and a mistake. You don’t do that publicly about players.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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