‘We’re trying different things’ – Southgate on Denmark draw and boos from fans

Gareth Southgate admits playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield is an “experiment” and says he understands why England fans are disappointed following his side’s 1-1 draw with Denmark.

Harry Kane had put England ahead on 18 minutes with a close-range finish before Morten Hjulmand’s long-range stunner levelled the scores before half-time.

There were boos from some England fans in attendance in Frankfurt at full-time following a disappointing display and Southgate admits he accepts people will be frustrated with what they have seen from his side so far.

“There’s a huge amount of work, that’s evident from the two performances we’ve given and we’ve got to be tight,” he said.

The England boss also says he has been pleased with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contribution in central midfield but admits he is still experimenting with his line-up as he tries to search for improvements.

“I wanted Conor [Gallagher] on. We needed energy, we needed to press better. Conor does that very well,” Southgate said, explaining why he brought Alexander-Arnold off.

“He’s had some moments where he’s delivered what we thought he would. We know it’s an experiment. We know we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Philips. We’re trying different things and at the moment we’re not flowing as we’d like.”

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