Trent Alexander-Arnold was initially dropped and then reinstated as right-back as England labored to a 0-0 draw with Slovenia, marking another unsuccessful adjustment by Gareth Southgate.
The sole alteration for England, as they entered their final Group C match in search of a win to lift spirits, was the substitution of Alexander-Arnold for Conor Gallagher.
This change had been anticipated, with Southgate having replaced Alexander-Arnold with Gallagher early in the second half of England's prior matches at the Euros.
However, the desired improvement did not materialize, and it became increasingly evident that the "experiment" of deploying a right-back in midfield was not the sole problem.
In the match against Slovenia, England dominated with 73 percent possession and 12 shots on goal compared to Slovenia's four, yet they managed only four shots on target and a single significant opportunity.
This is highlighted by the fact that, according to FotMob, no England player created more chances than Alexander-Arnold, who had three during the group stage.
Remarkably, this was achieved with the 25-year-old playing only 129 minutes in the three matches against Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia, averaging 2.1 chances created per 90 minutes.
Despite a 0-0 draw, England advanced to the last 16 as winners of Group C, likely setting up a clash with the Netherlands in the knockout stage.
It seems improbable that Alexander-Arnold will return to the midfield for that game, with Southgate opting to bring on Kobbie Mainoo at half-time to replace Gallagher.
However, late in the game, there was a hint that Alexander-Arnold might be considered for his usual role, taking over from Kieran Trippier in the last six minutes as Kyle Walker moved to left-back.
Joe Gomez was once again an unused substitute – one of eight England players who have not yet played in the tournament.
Commenting on ITV's post-match analysis, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou addressed Southgate's midfield dilemma, stating: "I think the midfield setup doesn't allow them to play that style of football."
"All three players – Declan, Conor, and Jude – tend to play it safe with their passing. What's needed is someone creative, willing to take a risk, yet possessing the vision and foresight to think 'before I receive this ball, it's going forward.' This, in turn, triggers movement from the players ahead." In essence, Postecoglou pinpointed the very player Southgate has held responsible for England's Euros campaign thus far – Alexander-Arnold, one of the few in the squad with such vision.
