Why Trent Alexander-Arnold didn't play for England against Spain as Thomas Tuchel offers explanation

England manager Thomas Tuchel has explained why Trent Alexander-Arnold did not start Saturday's UEFA Nations League defeat to Spain at Wembley.

The Three Lions' first match since the 2026 World Cup ended in a familiar sense of dismay, as despite taking a 2-1 lead against the world champions, England blew their advantage as Spain triumphed 3-2.

Lamine Yamal's second-minute opener preceded quickfire strikes from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane, but Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal turned the tide for Spain in the second half.

Following the withdrawal of Tino Livramento through injury, and the absences of Reece James and Ben White, Alexander-Arnold was viewed as a leading candidate to start in defence following his high-profile recall.

However, Alexander-Arnold was snubbed from the England starting XI, as Tuchel started with a back four comprising Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly.

Why Trent Alexander-Arnold did not start for England against Spain

Even when England were chasing the game late on, Alexander-Arnold was restricted to a watching brief, as Morgan Rogers, James Garner, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were sent on instead.

Asked in his post-game press conference why Alexander-Arnold was an unused substitute, Tuchel revealed the two reasons behind Quansah's selection; the Bayer Leverkusen man's pace and his comfort in a central role.

"We needed Jarell Quansah’s speed and ability to think as a central defender (in a three as Guehi moved into midfield)," journalist Henry Winter quotes Tuchel as saying.

"He (Quansah) was top class at the World Cup, he was top class in training this week, he was excellent in this game."

Was Jarell Quansah "excellent" for England against Spain?

Quansah did not steal the spotlight for the wrong reasons against Spain, as it was Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guehi who committed the fatal mistakes leading to Baena and Yamal's goals at Wembley.

However, the former Liverpool defender - who completed the full 90 minutes - did not cover himself in glory completely, committing one error leading to a shot and also missing one big chance.

Quansah also lost possession 12 times, lost four of his seven duels and failed with both of his dribble attempts, although he did register a 100% success rate from his three tackles

Quansah effectively nullified the threat of Nico Williams, who did not create a single chance or complete one dribble on the night, but the Leverkusen defender could not replicate Alexander-Arnold's playmaking prowess in the final third.

Tuchel now faces a critical right-back decision for Tuesday's trip to Czechia, who lost 2-1 to Croatia in their League A Group 3 opener.