Without a solid anchor to balance England's midfield, the decision to use Trent Alexander-Arnold, an excellent but inconsistent defender, as a pivot has proven to be a monumental error weighing heavily on the British team. Despite having one win and one draw in their two Euro Cup matches, England's poor play has drawn criticism, with Gareth Southgate under intense scrutiny for his decisions.

It seems the England manager is marching steadily towards his own end and is doing everything possible to achieve it. Even before the tournament began, he announced his intentions after the Euro Cup during an interview with 'Bild,' stating, "If we don't win, I'll leave," after almost eight years in charge. 

Given the poor performances of his team, partly due to his experiments, the path to victory seems like a mirage. Consequently, his departure appears a probable future event.

The most controversial of his decisions, placing Alexander-Arnold in midfield, has unsettled a team full of talented players who have yet to find their rhythm. In their debut, a narrow 1-0 victory against Serbia, Jude Bellingham's excellent performance masked the British team's severe issues and lack of consistency necessary to progress far in the Euro Cup.

In that debut, Alexander-Arnold faced some criticism for his performance. He was substituted in the 69th minute, but Bellingham's impact and the victory diluted any calls for change from Southgate. He continued to deploy the Liverpool right-back in midfield against Denmark, a position unfamiliar to him. 

Once again, England played poorly, and this time, there was neither a victory nor a standout Bellingham performance to mask the team's problems. After the defeat, Southgate had no choice but to acknowledge the obvious.

Kalvin Phillips, Desired but Left Out

"We know it's an experiment; we don't have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we're trying some different things. For now, we're not flowing as we would like, that's for sure," said Southgate.

Southgate mentioned Phillips, who was not called up for the Euro Cup despite being available. Phillips' season, on loan at West Ham from Manchester City, wasn't great, leading Southgate to leave out a player who was crucial in England's run to the final in the last Euro Cup. Ironically, he omitted the player he now desperately misses while experimenting with Alexander-Arnold.

The Liverpool player found himself under scrutiny again. Against Denmark, he was substituted even earlier, in the 59th minute, without any effective connection with Declan Rice and overwhelmed by Christian Eriksen's experience. Once again, Connor Gallagher came on to try to fix England's play.

Gallagher also failed to make a significant impact. So, what solutions does Southgate have? Bellingham could drop deeper to allow Cole Palmer, who hasn't played yet, to come in; he could stick with Gallagher, or he could turn to young players waiting for their chance: Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo. While there's no clear solution in sight for England's problem, one thing is certain: Southgate is done with experimenting with Alexander-Arnold in midfield, a position he will abandon permanently.