Jarrod Bowen issues denial amid England 'tension' and Trent Alexander-Arnold situation

West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen, who has come on for England in both matches at Euro 2024 so far, has refuted the suggestion that there are problems with the Three Lions' 'mood' behind the scenes in Germany.

It was suggested by The Independent after an underwhelming start to the campaign for England that there is tension within the squad about team selection. The obvious contention is Trent Alexander-Arnold playing in midfield while Kieran Trippier is playing as a right-footed left-back and Phil Foden has been shunted to the left flank.

The report alleges that some relatives of England players fear the manager has already made 'commitments' to certain players and isn't picking his starting XIs on merit. England has generally lacked intensity, isn't pressing at all let alone effectively, and hasn't looked particularly creative despite having Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka as a central part of its attack.

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There is a complete lack of balance in the starting XI that is holding the players back. And that makes sense: it is, of course, one thing having the best squad on paper and another on the grass.

But Bowen has insisted that spirits are high ahead of the final group match of the tournament for England, in which Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is expected to replace Alexander-Arnold in the starting XI. Gallagher has come off the bench in each of the previous two fixtures.

"We have a real tight group, a real togetherness," Bowen said ahead of facing Slovenia. "We're still in control of our own destiny. We're calm about it. The mood is really high. We're not bottom with two defeats. We're still in a really good position."

Liverpool.com says: In some ways, it should help Alexander-Arnold that he is taken out of the firing line. England is unlikely to do much better with Gallagher in Alexander-Arnold's place and perhaps then people will see that the issue that Gareth Southgate has is not the Liverpool man. There are plenty of other imbalances within the squad that aren't being addressed.