Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Real Madrid, recently commented on Trent Alexander-Arnold, stating that the English defender had had a good start to the season. This came as a surprise to some in England, where many had assumed Alexander-Arnold was no longer playing for Real Madrid after he was not selected for the World Cup squad. Tuchel noted that Alexander-Arnold hasn't had enough time to change that decision, as his two league appearances so far haven't provided clear evidence of whether he should be included or excluded from the England team. Alexander-Arnold's most notable match this season was against Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabéu, where he started from the middle of midfield. This was unusual, as Alexander-Arnold is primarily a right-back. José Mourinho, Real Madrid's coach at the time, had previously avoided answering questions about using Alexander-Arnold in midfield, citing the absence of key players. In a post-match press conference, Mourinho admitted he had no choice but to use Alexander-Arnold and praised his effort, though he explained that the demands of a midfielder are different from those of a full-back, especially in terms of physicality and positioning. Tuchel was clear that Alexander-Arnold was called up as a right-back and has not significantly changed his natural position since joining Real Madrid. In his first season, he played 30 of 56 games for the club. He had the opportunity to join Mourinho at the start of pre-season and hoped the arrival of a new coach might offer a fresh start. However, this has not worked out as planned. On the opening day of the season, he started on the bench and only came on in the final 10 minutes as Madrid won against Espanyol. He then sat out their 4-1 win over Real Sociedad, where Denzil Dumfries, the new right-back signed in the summer, started ahead of him. Alexander-Arnold had a standout performance against promoted Málaga, playing the full 90 minutes and delivering a performance that hinted at a new beginning. A Madrid-based newspaper called it "a new Trent," noting his high number of touches and completed passes, as well as two goal contributions. However, the momentum did not last. He came on as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Real Betis and played only 26 minutes. He remained on the bench in subsequent matches, including a draw against Rayo Vallecano and a 2-2 draw with Elche, where he was substituted late in the game. Despite these ups and downs, Alexander-Arnold has earned one assist and one international call-up so far. His defensive concerns remain, and it seems unlikely he will start the upcoming derby against Atlético Madrid. Dumfries has started more regularly, playing four league games and one in the Champions League.