England has to lose one superstar from its starting XI and it’s not Trent Alexander-Arnold

England are no strangers to the dilemma of how to fit all of their elite talent into one cohesive team. At Euro 2024, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been the primary focus of that particular discussion.

Following in the footsteps of Steven Gerrard, another Liverpool legend, Alexander-Arnold finds himself competing with a number of other world-class options for a berth in the side. The solution to which Gareth Southgate has committed is playing him in midfield.

Notionally part of a double pivot with Declan Rice, Alexander-Arnold was often more advanced against Serbia, with Jude Bellingham sometimes dropping back in to cover. Phil Foden, theoretically another option for the midfield trio, was used wide on the left in attack.

READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Waldemar Anton 'tracked', Leny Yoro bid, Dean Huijsen interest
READ MORE: Liverpool fan has already admitted he wants dream transfer amid 'contact' for Arne Slot favorite

It was a dull 1-0 win for England to start the tournament. But in a game where nobody except goal-scorer Bellingham truly shone, it's incredibly telling that the focus has settled on Alexander-Arnold.

Southgate did him no favors by substituting him first around the 70-minute mark, which set the tone for the inevitable post-match discussion. Despite the fact that England looked defensively weaker in these final stages, questions have been asked over Alexander-Arnold, with some calling for him to be axed from the team ahead of the second fixture.

It's hard not to conclude that unless the Liverpool man had bagged a brace for himself with an assist for good measure, and preferably a goal-line clearance, there would have been calls to drop him. His fringe role under Southgate over the years has created a circus around him, so that the scrutiny reaches almost unbearable levels every time he does make it onto the pitch in an England shirt.

The reality is that Alexander-Arnold was one of the better performers. He released Bukayo Saka a couple of times with some passes few others in white would have even seen, never mind executed. He got into some reasonable goal-scoring positions, and his defensive work was mostly good, one poor turnover aside.

Using Opta's points system, Alexander-Arnold was the third-best England player on the night, behind Bellingham and Rice. Crucially, he was ahead of Foden.

Much like Alexander-Arnold, the Manchester City ace is a superstar. The pair are both something close to generational talents, offering skills which England is not renowned for producing. But if Southgate is going to drop one of them, then Foden should be the one to go.

Many have proposed dropping Foden into midfield and getting rid of Alexander-Arnold altogether as some kind of grand solution. It would supposedly cure the ineffectiveness shown by the Manchester City man, who was somewhat shoehorned onto the left wing, while taking out the so-called Liverpool 'weak link' in the middle.

But for all the defensive complains that follow Alexander-Arnold around, he certainly offers more against the ball than Foden. Opponents would walk through a trio of him, Bellingham and Rice — or at the very least, Bellingham would be forced even deeper, robbing England of the source of its only goal so far.

Ultimately, the England midfield looked quite well-balanced against Serbia. The main problem was the blunt attack, and Foden was a big part of that, with the left flank more or less missing in action.

Again harking back to the Gerrard days, perhaps Foden is destined to be the Paul Scholes. England can't afford to waste another golden generation by trying to get all of the best individuals into the side — Southgate has to build a team.

With an in-form Anthony Gordon or Cole Palmer to call upon, Southgate has more natural options than Foden on the left wing. He could still make a major impact at this tournament from the bench, but the obvious change is to take him out.

Meanwhile, though there's plenty more to come from Alexander-Arnold as well, it's not obvious that anyone has a better case to be starting. He did more than Foden to justify his spot in the opening fixture, and while England fans unfairly expect fireworks every time he gets on the ball, the Liverpool man needs to keep his place.