Alexander-Arnold fluffs lines in audition for Tuchel

Alexander-Arnold fluffs lines in audition for TuchelImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England outcast Trent Alexander-Arnold had a mixed night for Real Madrid against Bayern MunichByPhil McNultyChief football writer at the BernabeuPublished1 minute agoCommentsEngland head coach Thomas Tuchel made the journey to Madrid on his latest World Cup reconnaissance mission and was richly rewarded by a thrilling Champions League blockbuster between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.Tuchel's eyes were trained on Real Madrid pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham, as well as captain Harry Kane in his role as Bayern's prime goalscorer.He will have left with suspicions confirmed about Alexander-Arnold, as well as concrete evidence from Bellingham and Kane that they are surely indispensable when England's World Cup campaign kicks off against Croatia in Arlington on 17 June.Champions League nights at the Bernabeu are always special occasions, with supporters swarming around the magnificent arena hours before kick-off and thousands of fans clad in white gathering on Plaze de los Sagrados Corazones to welcome Real Madrid's team bus.To add to the drama, a warm Madrid afternoon suddenly turned to blackened skies and a deluge to set a spectacular stage for this meeting of European heavyweights.As a classic unfolded, the game held contrasting fortunes for those Tuchel had under his microscope.Alexander-Arnold is perhaps the most intriguing case study of the trio Tuchel was scrutinising, lavishly gifted and playing at the club most regard as the world's biggest, and yet seemingly with no part to play in England's summer strategy.The 27-year-old, who moved from Liverpool last summer, has had a rocky introduction to life at Real and also suffered the ignominy of being left out of Tuchel's 35-man England squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.And then, if that was not painful enough, when Tuchel called on replacements, he ignored Alexand...