Will Southgate stick or twist with Foden?

Gareth Southgate's England squad action for Euro 2024 received wide support for being bold and courageous - and yet he is still revisiting a statement stretching backmost 2 decades.

It is simply a speech that returns to nan era erstwhile England's then-manager Sven-Goran Eriksson grounded to rate successful what looked for illustration a aureate summons stamped pinch nan names of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.

Eriksson's star-struck attack led him to battalion his squad pinch England's champion individuals alternatively than style a fully-functioning balanced side, a forced and flawed strategy that near nan alleged 'Golden Generation' unfulfilled astatine world level while sweeping up awesome prizes regularly pinch their clubs.

It ended pinch a disillusioned Scholes, wasted connected nan near flank astatine Euro 2004 successful Portugal, calling clip early connected his world career, a world-class usability pinch Manchester United marginalised by England.

And now location are hints of aged arguments being raked complete erstwhile much arsenic England proceed their Euro 2024 run against Denmark successful Frankfurt connected Thursday.

Southgate is not astatine nan Eriksson shape yet - so he whitethorn ne'er scope it - but he will beryllium alert of nan increasing measurement of nan chat astir Manchester City's Phil Foden, England's young superstar Jude Bellingham and nan make-up of his midfield elsewhere.

All nan indications backstage successful Frankfurt suggested Southgate will support religion pinch Foden successful nan chiefly near flank domiciled he filled against Serbia, pinch Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice successful nan centre.

It has not silenced nan statement and nan sound accrued aft Foden - nan Footballer of nan Year pinch 27 convention goals arsenic Manchester City secured a 4th successive title - trim a peripheral fig successful England's opening Euro 2024 triumph against Serbia successful Gelsenkirchen, while Bellingham was nan ascendant characteristic successful each aspects, scoring nan decisive goal.

Southgate was playing his cards adjacent to his thorax when asked astir his squad selection for England's 2nd group crippled against nan Danes.

Will he instrumentality aliases twist? Will Southgate clasp belief that Foden's brilliance astatine nine level will people construe into Euro 2024, aliases does he spell for a smoother fresh connected nan near flank? Would a alteration to Foden's domiciled beryllium an early admittance of defeat?

He besides staked a batch connected choosing Alexander-Arnold successful midfield pinch Arsenal's Rice, but that whitethorn yet beryllium a horses for courses prime depending connected nan style and modular of opposition.

Southgate has a way grounds of not changing teams early successful awesome tournaments truthful nan smart money is connected him retaining an unchanged broadside - but if and erstwhile he does, location will beryllium patient attraction connected Foden and Alexander-Arnold to further backmost up nan manager's faith, aliases location whitethorn beryllium changes ahead.

England's head would beryllium courageous to alteration it. He will besides beryllium showing nan courageousness of his convictions to support it arsenic it was. It is nan balancing enactment of an England manager.

Southgate surely gave a glowing reference to trusted aged lieutenant Kieran Trippier, whose domiciled astatine left-back connected nan broadside that grounded to usability against Serbia was highlighted alongside Foden's show successful beforehand of him.

"Ask anyone who plays successful beforehand of Kieran," said Southgate. "They will show you nan measurement he communicates and talks them done nan crippled is an tremendous help."

How Southgate solves nan Foden conundrum will fundamentally style England's run successful Germany. It whitethorn time off him pinch nan hardest prime of each arsenic Euro 2024 moves on: whether to support religion pinch Foden aliases look elsewhere wrong his squad.

Bellingham's domiciled arsenic nan focal constituent and driving unit of England's squad has resulted successful Foden being pushed into a wider role. When he moved into much cardinal areas, he still grounded to person immoderate effect successful nan 1-0 triumph against nan Serbs.

Southgate will not beryllium making immoderate adjustments to nan domiciled of Bellingham, who received lavish praise from Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand.

"You spot really bully he is astatine 20. I deliberation he will beryllium very, very bully erstwhile he is 23," Hjulmand said.

"You spot nan measurement he carries himself, really he plays, and you are looking astatine a awesome player."

Foden is convinced he tin make it activity pinch Bellingham and amended arsenic Euro 2024 progresses. Now he must dream his head feels nan same, pinch Newcastle United's awesome Anthony Gordon pushing his claims and looking a much earthy fresh pinch his gait and smooth, nonstop attack down nan left.

For Foden to make his lawsuit much compelling, he has to enforce himself connected proceedings successful a mode he has done each excessively seldom for England - and do it against Denmark connected Thursday.

Ian Wright and Cesc Fabregas some judge nan inaugural lies pinch Foden.

"Do you want it capable to make a quality and clasp nan shot for your team? Do you want to make things happen? Do you bask getting nan shot nether pressure?" said Fabregas.

"You request to return this work to grow. I deliberation players for illustration Foden, they request to measurement up."

Foden hardly seems nan type to beryllium intimidated aliases shrink successful nan the beingness of a colleague, but location is nary uncertainty nan subordinate seen astatine Manchester City has not presented himself excessively often for England.

Time is short astatine awesome tournaments. Margins for correction tin beryllium very small.

Denmark did not wholly person pinch changeless denials that they still consciousness a awesome consciousness of injustice astir nan mode of their conclusion by England successful nan Euro 2020 semi-final astatine Wembley - erstwhile Harry Kane scoring nan deciding extremity successful a 2-1 triumph from a rebound pursuing a highly contentious punishment awarded for a situation connected Raheem Sterling.

Under their fantabulous coach Hjulmand, they coming stubborn and vulnerable guidance - making it moreover much important Southgate gets nan cardinal choices right.