Reece James appears to be in the clear for a World Cup starting spot and shouldn't have any issues with his competition at England after Trent Alexander-Arnold was brutally put down by a former Chelsea star.
Alexander-Arnold, who has reportedly been left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the final UEFA Nations League match and the last game before England start the winter World Cup, will have only played five of the last 31 matches for his country and was left out of the Euro 2020 squad altogether.
James on the other hand has cemented his place as first choice right wingback despite only making one appearance in the major tournament last summer. His form since then has made him one of Chelsea's most important players and has also elevated him on the world status too.
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There has, with all of England's quality at right-back, been an ongoing debate regarding who is the best, who is the worst and a lot of club rivalry. Until this season the general consensus has been relatively divided between Chelsea and Liverpool fans. Alexander-Arnold has had better attacking returns and James is a much more solid defensive option. James' experience in a back-three as a centre-back but more prevalently as a wingback has made him a go-to star for Gareth Southgate.
James' forward play has improved drastically though and he posses the option to come in-field and go down the line with a lethal cross of his own. As well as being a brilliantly balanced player James offers solidity at the back that Alexander-Arnold has lacked and now former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has given a brutal description of the 23-year-old's game.
In an interview with Journal du Dimanche, Leboeuf said: "Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold. I love the guy, his offensive qualities. But defensively, he's Championship level. Only Klopp's system works for him. When it doesn't work as well as it has this season, all you see is his defensive shortcomings."
The Liverpool fullback has only got one goal with zero assists so far this season, and that came in a 9-0 win against Bournemouth. He has struggled in a Jurgen Klopp team also in poor form and his defensive foibles have, as Leboeuf pointed out, become more scrutinised as they are more apparent.
"I want to take him with me to work on the basics," he added. "I would say to him: 'Turn your head and look behind you, it will be better already'. It was Roberto Carlos who deformed generations of defenders."
The Real Madrid star pioneered for attacking fullbacks and has since seen more and more technically advanced and integral defenders across the world. Southgate's England is built on defensive solidity though and when trying to win games at a major tournament, which will often be decided by the odd goal, James has been preferred for his ability going both ways.
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