England head into their second game at the 2024 European Championship in Germany on Thursday with plenty of question marks hanging over them.
The Three Lions laboured to a 1-0 victory over Serbia last weekend and looked well short of the quality needed to emerge victorious at the tournament.
Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier had cause to be pleased with his performance after helping to keep a clean sheet in an unfamiliar left-back role.
By contrast, Anthony Gordon was left clicking his heels on the bench despite Manchester City’s Phil Foden failing to shine on the left wing.
For fans inclined towards online betting on sports, odds of 4/1 on England to win Euro 2024 may be tempting after their opening victory.
However, sports bettors may feel that hosts Germany represent better value at odds of 9/2 given the manner of their performances to date.
Manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping for an improved performance against Denmark, but rumours that he will stick with the same starting XI are concerning.
Trippier deserves to keep his place in the team, although he would undoubtedly be more effective if he operated from his usual right-back role.
Despite playing out of position, the 33-year-old was solid defensively against Serbia and will be hoping to produce a similar performance against Denmark.
Southgate’s biggest problem is further forward and he seems unwilling to resolve it despite the answer staring him in the face.
Foden struggled to get to grips with playing on the left wing, which was unsurprising given that he is far more effective in the number ten role.
As Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer pointed out on the BBC, moving Foden into the centre and shifting Jude Bellingham a little deeper would give England a more balanced look.
Southgate’s obsession with playing full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in the centre of the park creates unnecessary problems for the Three Lions.
Axing the Liverpool defender would open the door for Southgate to play Gordon on the left wing – a move which would bring more stability to the line-up.
Trippier would probably benefit from having his club teammate on the same flank, as he is more familiar with his style of play.
Bellingham is unquestionably capable of playing in the number eight role and would clearly be more effective than Alexander-Arnold.
With Foden playing in between Gordon and Bukayo Saka, the Three Lions would likely create numerous chances for striker Harry Kane.
England’s current set-up resembles to the nonsense that impacted the team when Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard were in the squad.
Their performances suffered as the balance was never right – a scenario that Southgate has recreated with the current options at his disposal.
Having finally admitted that he doesn’t fancy Jack Grealish by omitting him from the squad, Southgate had a golden opportunity to integrate Gordon into his team.
He was a standout performer for Newcastle last season and unquestionably deserves the chance to nail down the starting role on the left flank.
The answer to England’s conundrum lies in Southgate admitting that Alexander-Arnold is not a midfielder and never will be.
By removing him from the equation in the middle of the park, Southgate would unlock a starting XI which could challenge for the Euro 2024 title.
Gordon will be hoping that the England manager finally wises up, but he may have to wait until after the Denmark game before he is handed the chance to shine.
