Bukayo Saka vs Phil Foden - Gareth Southgate handed verdict for England Euro 2024 Denmark clash

England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday means the Three Lions are top of Group C after the first batch of fixtures, but many felt underwhelmed by the overall display.

Trent Alexander-Arnold began the game in midfield while Kieran Trippier played at left-back with Luke Shaw not yet ready for action. There was also debate about Phil Foden’s performance.

The Manchester City star, who won Premier League player of the season, began the match out on the left and struggled to get a foothold on the game. Foden had played as the central attacking midfielder for many of his Man City games this season, but goalscorer Jude Bellingham was given the nod there.

Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka assisted Bellingham's header inside 13 minutes and had a fruitful first half before being squeezed out of the game after the break. He was replaced by Jarrod Bowen on 76 minutes while Foden stayed on for the full 90 minutes.

Speaking on punditry duty for the BBC, 2008 and 2012 Euros winner Cesc Fabregas urged Foden to take the initiative to get into the game more, while other analysts noted Saka’s drop in potency once he was closed down in the second half.

There is debate over how to fit Foden into the England team with some arguing that Saka is actually a more effective presence for the Three Lions. Our football.london writers have their say on who should start versus Denmark on Thursday.

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Isaac Johnson

I don’t particularly like to pit two England players who are clearly brimming with quality against each other, but Fabregas is correct to highlight Foden’s responsibility. He drew comparisons with how Bellingham took the game by the scruff of the net in contrast.

I’d argue it’s harder for a wide player to make as much impact as a central player, but the Spaniard’s main point is right - the very best international stars impose themselves on a game. I can’t envisage Kylian Mbappe being that patient.

Gareth Southgate should allow Foden to drift inside and dovetail with Bellingham, like he did with Julian Alvarez at City during the start of this season, while Saka does the business on the right. The Arsenal star has been more effective for England in recent years but does have the ability to get lost as the game drifts on.

Both Foden and Saka should still make the starting XI, perhaps still on opposite wings, and there is no whiff of either deserving to be dropped. But while Foden probably has the bigger capacity to do better, Saka seems to be able to make his mark on an England game more successfully.

Jack Flintham

We saw Saka at his most and least effective in 90 minutes against Serbia on Sunday night. When allowed to pick the ball up on the right flank and run at his defender, the Arsenal man is staggeringly good.

However, what Southgate should have spotted earlier was that Serbia had found him out in the second 45 minutes and he was largely ineffective. At that point, England should have been bold and switched Foden to the right flank where he is more comfortable and brought Anthony Gordon onto the pitch.

If I was the England boss, I would have perhaps started Foden on the right wing with Saka on the bench. It may be controversial but the City man looked unstoppable in front of goal when Pep Guardiola utilised him in that position this past season.

Unfortunately, the depth of England's squad means some talented players will miss out on a start. However, what a player Saka is to come off the bench if it is not working out for Foden.

Kieran Horn

Of England's four attackers that started the Euro 2024 clash against Serbia, Phil Foden was by far the least involved. At Manchester City this season, Foden has thrived in a central role but unfortunately for him there are a few players better-suited for the role and one of those is his England teammate Jude Bellingham.

Given the campaign he has just had, it is very difficult to justify leaving Foden out of the starting XI, however he is so ineffective on the left. Thankfully for Foden, Bellingham is extremely versatile and more than capable of filling in alongside Declan Rice.

While England would lose out on Trent Alexander-Arnold's vision from midfield, the Liverpool man rarely got to show his best qualities. Saka holding the width is vital for the Three Lions and that position has to be his for the remainder of the tournament with Foden shifting inside to fill the gap left by Bellingham.

That then leaves a spot out wide vacant and Anthony Gordon is perfectly capable of filling the role with Eberechi Eze also an option although he is, like Foden, better used in a central position. It is quite the dilemma for Gareth Southgate though the best solution is keeping both in his team and altering his midfield behind the front three.

Tom Coley

Who should start on the right for England out of Saka and Foden? Why, Cole Palmer of course!

(Only slightly) joking aside, they can co-exist, they just haven't The lack of a true left-back hasn't made the process any easier for Southgate as Foden simply has less support, but that still doesn't mean it's over for them playing together.

Saka tends to play wider than Foden on the right anyway, so the City man can certainly come centrally even from the left to try and link with Bellingham, but it just doesn't offer him the freedom to do what he does for Manchester City. How Southgate moves forward will be interesting, though.

There is an argument to give Gordon a go against Denmark in a game that still matters - England will hope that there is nothing riding on the Slovenia match, and we have seen how dead some of the dead rubbers can be, making it hard to judge players.

There's just too much quality with Foden though. These players are still new together and operating under the pressure of a first game is not easy. Give them another shot at things and see how it goes.

Amie Wilson

The fact that Gareth Southgate has so much quality in his England squad is a puzzle that he will be happy to have to fit, but it doesn’t make it any easier.

Saka showed what he can do in the first 45 minutes against Serbia in the opening games, providing an assist for Jude Bellingham’s only goal of the match. But he faded in the second half as Serbia took more control and marked him out of the game.

After being a key player for Manchester City this season much excitement was around Phil Foden and what he could do in the competition. But he failed to deliver in a wider position against Serbia.

A player of Foden’s quality can’t be dropped from the side, but he needs to be either moved inside or given the freedom to drift into more central areas from the left. For me, I would be tempted to play him alongside Bellingham instead of Alexander-Arnold.

Saka would occupy the defence on the right, while it could be a straight shootout between Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze for the spot on the left.

Oliver Jones

Is England the only nation in the world that complains when their players are too good to fit into one starting XI together? Well, it's what we do best, I suppose.

Phil Foden was poor on Sunday night, I'll just come out and say it. It's something that's gone relatively unnoticed for his country due to how good he is at club level but it's rearing its head now. Unless people want Gareth Southgate to play with two No. 10s which we can all agree we don't want, then there needs to be some kind of solution.

Jude Bellingham has proven that moving him back into the central midfield alongside Declan Rice would be a mistake given how efficient he was in the top-third of the pitch meaning his role as the No.10 should be safe. Bringing Foden off the left is a good move, but where does he go?

People might not like to hear it but maybe other people deserve a chance. Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze could've given far more to England than Foden last weekend, and Saka showed his elite levels in the first half of the Serbia win. Yes, Foden has masses of quality but if he's not going to get his act together and take responsibility for a player of his talents, Southgate needs to make the tough decisions.

Comparing talents is easy when you're watching it for hundreds of miles away on a television and holding England back by not playing our best XI players each game isn't what I'm advocating for. It's just that sometimes the best players to play aren't your 'best' players in terms of raw talent - don't sacrifice the system trying to force someone in who may not benefit the gameplan.