Middle England still in a muddle after Trent experiment ends early

England will leave Gelsenkirchen with most of the same worries they arrived with. Maybe a few new ones too.

SUBBED: England's Trent Alexander-Arnold is hugged by manager Gareth Southgate after being substituted during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group C match at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire. 

With 63 minutes flashing on the hulking four-sided video board that looms over the centre circle of this place, Trent Alexander-Arnold swung his right leg in a panicked pivot. He sent the ball skyward on a trajectory which, for just a split-second, had you thinking it might hit the floating sky-telly. England could have done with the stoppage of play that would have resulted.

And that, ultimately, is the answer to the question: so how did the whole going with Alexander-Arnold in midfield thing go Gareth? It didn’t go horribly but it didn’t go well. It certainly didn’t suggest it can send Southgate’s team, Euro 2024’s tournament favourites, to the places Germany and Spain have pointed towards on our opening two days.