Erik ten Hag shares thoughts on England after Trent Alexander-Arnold gamble

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold was in Euro 2024 action for England in its slender 1-0 win against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday evening. Alexander-Arnold was utilized in a midfield position by Gareth Southgate alongside Declan Rice.

It's a position many have been demanding Alexander-Arnold be positioned in for years. Southgate had tried it once or twice but never on a stage like a European Championship. Here he did, and the results were mixed.

Alexander-Arnold sprayed a couple of the long-range passes he's known for, but it wasn't a stellar performance from the Liverpool vice-captain, neither brilliant nor bad.

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He lasted 68 minutes before being replaced by Conor Gallagher. In the end, England hung on for the victory despite increased Serbia pressure in the second half. Victory means England tops its group after one round of games, with the other teams in its group, Denmark and Slovenia, playing out a 1-1 draw earlier in the day.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag was a guest on Dutch TV as a pundit, and he commented on England's Euro 2024 opener. "It's the vision of the manager [Southgate]. England will take a 1-0 lead, then he [Southgate] decides to start gambling with making his team compact and relying on moments for the remaining minutes of the game," said Ten Hag on Studio Voetbal alongside Marco Van Basten and Yannick van de Velde.

"England were playing very passive. I actually saw them moving backwards, they kept Serbia coming at them," he continued. "In the first half I really enjoyed Jude Bellingham. He took England by the hand and lifted them to a higher level."

Liverpool's other English representative at the competition, Joe Gomez, didn't feature in the Serbia game, with the Reds' defender remaining an unused substitute. Yet after the game, Southgate talked about 'using his squad', so it could be a hint that Gomez will see game time at the tournament, dependant on how England do in the next couple of games.

Liverpool.com says: Ten Hag was right in his assessment of England's performance. In the first half it did very well, but in the second half Serbia was much the better team. England wasn't exactly holding on to the win, but Serbia had the momentum come the end of the game and Southgate would've been glad to hear the final whistle.