England suffer setback in their bid to secure top spot in Group C of Euro 2024 as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark in Frankfurt.
Despite taking an early lead through Harry Kane, the Three Lions struggled to maintain their momentum with Morten Hjulmand’s stunning long-range strike erasing their advantage.
After a dull performance against Serbia, Alexander-Arnold was handed a second opportunity to prove his critics wrong but the Liverpool player once again failed to live up to the task and was substituted for Conor Gallagher just ten minutes into the second half.
Naturally, Southgate was bombarded with questions on Alexander-Arnold’s role in the team and the England manager could only muster a bizarre answer to the queries.
When asked about the substitution decision, Southgate explained, “I wanted to get Conor on; we needed some energy and to press better. He’s (Alexander-Arnold) had some moments where he’s delivered what we thought he would.
“We know it’s an experiment. We know we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Philips. We’re trying different things and at the moment we’re not flowing as we’d like.”
Phillips, who missed out on the tournament following a disappointing loan spell at West Ham, has left a gap in the midfield that Southgate has struggled to fill.
The lack of a like-for-like replacement for Phillips has led to tactical adjustments, including the controversial deployment of Alexander-Arnold in midfield – rather than his natural position at right-back.
Despite the draw, England remain at the top of Group C, heading into their final group match against Slovenia on June 25. A win against Slovenia would secure their position as group leaders, allowing them to avoid a potential last-16 clash with Germany.
