Denmark 1-1 England: 'Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment is surely over'

Summary: Denmark and England played to a 1-1 draw in an exciting match.

Top football journalist at the Frankfurt Stadium

Trent Alexander-Arnold looked sad as he stood with the rest of the England team in front of the fans who were upset with them following their poor performance in the draw against Denmark in Frankfurt.

Alexander-Arnold appeared troubled, and so will England coach Gareth Southgate after a messy performance from England resulted in a lucky 1-1 draw against the much better Danish team.

During major tournaments, Southgate learned that it is not the best time to try new things. His idea of playing a highly skilled Liverpool defender in midfield did not work well during England's recent game. The team lacked organization, energy, and at times, looked like a mess. This strategy is likely to be abandoned moving forward.

Alexander-Arnold should not be blamed or used as a distraction to hide the issues that have plagued England since they scored first against Serbia in their first game under Southgate.

This responsibility falls just as heavily on the manager, if not more so, than the player being played in an unfamiliar position.

On Thursday, England showed how they have a risky pattern of quickly losing their advantage after scoring a goal in the 18th minute by captain Harry Kane.

In England, there were more issues than Southgate is willing to acknowledge, at least publicly. They were lucky that Denmark did not score again after Morten Hjulmand's powerful equalizer in the 34th minute.

Alexander-Arnold's unfamiliar position is causing some difficulties, and it appeared to mark the conclusion of an "experiment" as Southgate made the decision to substitute him just nine minutes into the second half. This swift change, uncommon for the manager, suggests that the initial plan did not bring the desired results.

Despite Alexander-Arnold's best efforts, he seemed out of place and incompatible with the team, which is essentially his true nature. His connection with Declan Rice was lacking, off-kilter, and frequently overwhelmed by Denmark, whose midfield was centered around the experienced Christian Eriksen.

"England is not performing as well as we had hoped," said Southgate.

Southgate talked about how Kalvin Phillips was not there, even though he had faced criticism while playing for Manchester City and on loan at West Ham United. Despite his struggles, Phillips played a crucial role in England's journey to the Euro 2020 final.

Phillips was a reliable defender, skilled at recognizing threats, a steady presence in that position but a crucial one. This is why Southgate continued to support him until the player's decline in fitness and performance made it impossible to keep him in the lineup.

Phillips' physical prowess on the field created space for Rice to close in on their opponents and apply pressure, a strategy that had not been successful in previous matches against Serbia and Denmark.

Phillips's involvement also gave Rice the opportunity to expand his impact. He was known not only as a defensive midfielder but also for his ability to make powerful and inventive runs from the midfield, just like he did for Arsenal during this season.

In this situation, both players fell back to help defend the goal. Rice may have felt even more pressure to do so, as Alexander-Arnold is better at playing in positions closer to the opponent's goal.

Rice was hardly noticeable except for when he was defending for England in their first two group matches. This meant Southgate was missing a vital and skilled player. On the other hand, Alexander-Arnold's natural inclination towards attacking can sometimes leave him exposed when playing in front of the defensive line.

It was a terrible situation for England, causing a difficult and painful experience for everyone involved, not just in the midfield.

Evaluation: Is it necessary for Harry Kane to improve?

Kane, although he scored a goal, didn't contribute much in other areas of the game. Even Jude Bellingham seemed tired and wasn't performing well. He was lucky to not be taken off like his captain after 69 minutes, as Southgate searched for solutions on the bench.

The way Kane has been left out in both matches is worrying. England needs to figure out how to involve their top captain and striker in the game more. Despite scoring a goal, he was largely on the sidelines.

In the midfield, Chelsea's Conor Gallagher is looking like the top choice to replace Alexander-Arnold. However, he did receive a yellow card soon after entering the game. He is expected to play against Slovenia, but England's manager Southgate may also consider Manchester United's young player Kobbie Mainoo or Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton.

England was aware that a win would put them in first place in Group C after Serbia managed to secure a draw with Slovenia. However, if this notion motivated them, they certainly didn't show it in a positive way.

Watching England play is starting to feel like a repetitive cycle. They take the lead and then end up falling back.

Serbia didn't have what it takes to defeat Southgate's team, but Denmark, led by the clever coach Kasper Hjulmand, seized the moment.

Southgate maintains that he does not instruct the England team to become more defensive when they are winning, but this seems to happen regularly - indicating that either the players are not fully understanding his instructions or he needs to enforce them more strongly.

The good thing for England is that they didn't lose, and they still have a good chance to finish first in their group as they move into the round of 16.

Southgate should not be worried or anxious, but he needs to acknowledge that England must do better against Slovenia. Italy, France, and Spain, who could be their opponents in Euro 2024, will not be concerned after seeing England's difficulties on a subpar field.

Before the game started, there was a lot of talk about Phil Foden's position in the team. He was substituted with over 20 minutes remaining, but he proved to be England's most threatening player - even though there were many other good players on the team. He hit the post in the second half, showing his skill and danger to the opposition.

Southgate decided to make direct substitutions, swapping Kane for Ollie Watkins, Saka for Jarrod Bowen, and Foden for Eberechi Eze. Unfortunately, these changes did not have the desired impact on the game, although Watkins did manage to test Schmeichel with a shot on goal. Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer were left on the bench without getting a chance to play.

"We understand there is room for improvement," said the England captain, Harry Kane, following the draw against Denmark.

Marc Guehi, a Crystal Palace defender, once again showed his skill with a strong performance in defense. However, there were not many other positives for Southgate to focus on.

England is currently leading the group but they need to aim higher than just getting to the knockout rounds, especially with the high expectations that came with Southgate and his team to Germany.

Here, in Frankfurt, England did not live up to their expectation as pre-tournament favorites.

The fans of England expressed their dissatisfaction early in the second half. There were many instances of loud booing during that time and their reaction at the end of the game was not surprising.

Southgate and the players from England will say all the right things, but they have only had one okay performance and one terrible one.

If they want to live up to those high expectations before the tournament, they will need to step up their game quickly. If not, England has no chance of winning the trophy in Berlin on 14 July.