Phil Foden and Cole Palmer won the top men's prizes, while Reggae Girlz and Manchester City striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw won the top women's prize at the PFA Awards for the 2023-24 season on Tuesday.

Foden took home the Players' Player of the Year award for the first time, while Palmer was named the Young Player of the Year.

The women's Players' Player of the Year honour went to Shaw, with the Young Player of the Year award copped by Grace Clinton.

Two-time Young Player winner Foden had already been announced as the Premier League Player of the Season and the FWA Footballer of the Year.

Following the midweek ceremony, he has now also been recognised by his fellow professionals after starring in Manchester City's fourth straight title triumph.

Ex-City man Palmer had likewise been nominated for the top award after an outstanding first season at Chelsea, in which he netted 22 league goals.

However, Palmer was not included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Foden made the cut alongside City team-mate Erling Haaland and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins in attack.

There were four City players included, with Kyle Walker and Rodri selected, but the champions were outnumbered by Arsenal's five representatives.

David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard earned recognition, with Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk completing the XI.

The PFA WSL Team of the Year included both Players' Player of the Year Shaw and Young Player of the Year Clinton.

Shaw was one of six City stars in the XI despite her side being pipped to the title by Chelsea, who could count only three players in the team.

Pep Guardiola was delighted to see Manchester City begin their season with silverware as they beat Manchester United in the Community Shield, though he warned their triumph means nothing for their hopes of another Premier League title. 

Bernardo Silva's header cancelled out Alejandro Garnacho's goal as the Manchester rivals played out a 1-1 draw at Wembley, with City edging the penalty shoot-out 7-6. 

Manuel Akanji scored the decisive kick after Silva, Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans failed to convert, handing City their first Community Shield triumph since 2019.

City's victory came despite the absences of several players that made it to the latter stages of Euro 2024, including Rodri, Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker.

While Guardiola was delighted to see his side avoid a fourth straight defeat in the annual curtain-raiser to the English season, he warned few conclusions can be drawn as they prepare to hunt a fifth consecutive Premier League title.

"I enjoyed playing against our rival in Manchester United and to start the season with a title is good. We are really pleased," Guardiola told ITV Sport.

"We lost a lot of balls, after transitions they are one of the best teams in the world. They are so dangerous to control, but in the end we did it.

"It is nice to play this game because it means you won something in the previous season.

"Now we'll see how the players come back. The target now is not to win the Premier League, it is, 'okay, next game we'll try and win it'. This is what we have to do."

The team that won the Community Shield has only gone on to finish as Premier League champions in one of the last 13 seasons, when City did so in 2018-19.

Goalkeeper Ederson was entrusted with taking City's fifth kick in the shoot-out, when a failure to score would have handed United victory.

Asked about the decision to put Ederson forward, Guardiola said: "He is our best penalty taker, along with Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne. All three are our best."

Guardiola was particularly pleased to see Akanji convert the winning kick after missing from 12 yards in Switzerland's Euro 2024 quarter-final loss to England, saying: "He missed it in the Euros and I love that he had the personality to take it."

Gareth Southgate believes England have every chance of upsetting Spain in Sunday's Euro 2024 final, although he warned the Three Lions will have to be at their best with and without the ball.

England are through to their second successive European Championship final after Ollie Watkins came off the bench to net a 90th-minute winner in Wednesday's semi-final against the Netherlands.

They have now reached more major tournament finals in four attempts under Southgate (two), than they did in 23 campaigns before his 2016 appointment (one).

But if England are to end a 58-year wait to follow up their 1966 World Cup win, they will have to get past the only team to win all six of their matches at the tournament.

Since the group stage was introduced in 1980, only France in 1984 (5/5) have won the Euros while maintaining a 100 per cent record.  

While Southgate has full faith in England's ability to hurt La Roja, he says their first challenge will be to get hold of the ball.

"We will have to get the ball off them first," Southgate said of Spain. "It is not as simple as us having the ball and making them run. 

"We have to be exceptional with the ball and without it. They have been the best team.

"We are starting to show a better version of ourselves, but we are in there with what we have shown to this point. 

"We have as good a chance as they do. We have come here to win it. It is a huge task, but we are still here and fighting."

Luis de la Fuente's side reached the final by overcoming France 2-1 on Tuesday, and their 13 goals at this edition of the Euros have only ever been bettered by France in 1984 (14).

The Spain squad watched Wednesday's second semi-final together, before De la Fuente began preparing for Sunday's showpiece game.

He told Spanish outlet La 1: "Both teams were very tough opponents.

"We are going to have played all the great teams in this competition, and it couldn't be any other way. The two best teams made it to the final.

"We had dinner and were watching the match, and then we were in our office, analysing it in a more relaxed way. 

"Now our work begins to analyse England in more detail."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Spain – Lamine Yamal 

Yamal made history in the last four, his stunning equaliser making him the youngest player to ever score at a World Cup or Euros.

Aged 17 years and one day, he could be the youngest ever player to feature in a World Cup or European Championship final, surpassing Pele's record from the 1958 World Cup (17 years, 249 days). 

He has three assists so far at Euro 2024, with no Spaniard ever providing more at a single edition of the tournament.

He has had 13 shot involvements following a ball carry at Euro 2024 (six shots, seven chances created), at least three more than any other player.

England – Phil Foden

Foden produced his best display of the tournament in the semi-finals, recording a game-high three shots, hitting the post with one long-range strike and seeing another effort cleared off the goal line.

He also completed all 40 of his attempted passes before being withdrawn for Cole Palmer, who teed up the Three Lions' winner.

England's switch to a back three has benefitted Foden, allowing him to play from the right-hand side and cut onto his favoured left foot. 

Might he silence his doubters on the biggest stage of all?

MATCH PREDICTION: SPAIN WIN

This will be the third meeting between Spain and England at the Euros, and the Three Lions have fond memories of the previous two, winning 2-1 in the group stage in 1980 and progressing on penalties after a quarter-final draw in 1996.

However, La Roja have only lost four of their last 14 meetings with England overall, having lost the previous seven in a row.

Spain have also won their last three major tournament finals and could become the first European nation to triumph in four straight World Cup/Euros title matches. 

The Opta supercomputer gives them a 60.4 per cent chance of lifting the trophy to England's 39.6 per cent. 

England will play their first major tournament final on foreign soil after playing the showpiece games at the 1966 World Cup and Euro 2020 at Wembley. 

They have never lost a match in Berlin in six attempts (four wins, two draws), only playing more often in Helsinki (eight times), Amsterdam and Sunderland (seven each) without ever losing. 

Can they upset the tournament's outstanding team to bring it home?

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Spain – 40.5 per cent

England – 29.0 per cent

Draw – 30.5 per cent

Harry Kane's England team-mates have backed their captain to regain his top form in their semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Kane has scored twice at the tournament so far, with one of those a vital winner in the first minute of extra time against Slovakia, but has otherwise failed to show a clinical edge.

He managed just two shots against Switzerland in the quarter-finals before being forced off in extra time, managing an expected goals of just 0.12.

Kane's performances have drawn criticism, with some calling for him to be dropped for their game against the Netherlands.

However, Trent Alexander-Arnold brushed off the idea, claiming that would play into their opponents' hands.

"Anyone who is facing England would like to see Harry Kane not playing," the defender told reporters.

"You just know he is a threat. Anything in and around the box, you need to be on red alert.

"He can finish it from every angle. I always say he is the best finisher I've seen or played with. He can drop down and build play up and his hold-up play is incredible too."

England are playing in their third major tournament semi-final under Gareth Southgate, with Kane scoring the winning goal to take them to the final of the Euros three years ago.

The striker has also scored the joint-most knockout stage goals in the competition's history, five, along with Antoine Griezmann.

And after finishing as the top-scorer in the Bundesliga last season, Phil Foden has full confidence Kane will regain his goalscoring touch.

"You can't really doubt him," he told Standard Sport. "He's been unbelievable for us in so many tournaments, and he's already scored a crucial goal in this tournament.

"Hopefully, he can prove a lot of people wrong and do what he does best: put the ball into the back of the net. We're all behind him, we all believe in him.

"The way teams have been playing, there's been a low block and the spaces are tight, so it's difficult for him to find space.

"I've seen that with Erling [Haaland] at club level. Sometimes it's nearly impossible for him to score because they've got two players man-marking him.

"Kane's a leader, he does a lot of work off the ball that people don't see. He's a valuable player and if we're going to win it, we're definitely going to need him."

Phil Foden wants England's players to take responsibility as they aim to discover their best form at Euro 2024.

England have limped through the tournament so far, and looked to be heading out in the last 16 until Jude Bellingham's last-gasp overhead kick against Slovakia.

The Three Lions turned things around in extra time, with Harry Kane heading in the winner, but the level of their displays continues to be underwhelming.

Gareth Southgate, who will manage his 100th match in charge of England when they take on Switzerland on Saturday, has taken much of the criticism, but Foden says the players must shoulder responsibility.

"The players have got to take some of the blame," Foden said.

"There has to be some leaders to get together and find out a solution to why it is not working.

"There is only so much the manager can do. He sets you up in a system and tells you how to press. If it is not going like that, you have to [work it out].

"I feel sorry for Gareth. In training, he has been telling us to press and be high up on the pitch and I feel like sometimes, it has to come from the players.

"We have to be leaders. In games we could have got together a little bit more and worked out a solution.

"So yes, we have spoken about it more. If it happens again in a game, we can get together and find a solution, see where it is going wrong and adapt our press."

Southgate will be just the third manager to hit the 100 milestone in charge of England. Walter Winterbottom drew his 100th match (3-3 against Northern Ireland in 1958), while Alf Ramsey won his 1-0 against Wales in 1972.

England have now reached the quarter-final in all four of their major tournaments under Southgate, the first time they have ever reached the last eight at four consecutive Euros/World Cups.

They have progressed from two of their four Euro quarter-final matches, with three of the four such games being decided on penalties.

With the group stages behind us, Euro 2024 now enters the business end of the tournament, when there's no more margin for error.

The favourites are all through in the main, with Croatia the biggest name to drop out in the group stage.

There are some surprise packages that have made the last 16 too, though: tournament debutants Georgia stunned Portugal to reach this stage, while Austria finished above France and the Netherlands to top Group D.

But as the tournament goes on, there are some serious questions being asked of the respective coaches when it comes to team selections, while other players nurse knocks ahead of the knockouts.

And here, using Opta data, we take a look at some of those selection dilemmas.

Should Southgate drop Foden and can Shaw stay fit?

Phil Foden came into Euro 2024 on the back of a magnificent season for Manchester City. He was named the Premier League Player of the Year, scoring 19 goals in 35 top-flight appearances in 2023-24.

Yet playing out on the left side of England's attack, with Jude Bellingham deployed centrally, Foden has failed to replicate that form for the Three Lions.

Anthony Gordon directly contributed to 21 Premier League goals for Newcastle United (11 goals, 10 assists), and appears able to offer the kind of directness that seems to be missing from England's attack.

Gordon would seemingly replace Foden if he were to start, so what is England's recent record at major tournaments without the City star?

Foden has featured in 10 games at the World Cup and Euros for England, who have won six of those games, drawing three and losing one. They score 1.8 goals per game with him in the team compared to 1.6 in the five tournament matches in which he has not featured.

Defensively, England do seem a little more solid when Foden does not feature, with their goals conceded per game dropping from 0.6 with him in, to 0.2 without the 24-year-old.

Behind Foden, though, the left-back position is an issue. Luke Shaw has not played for club or country since February, but Kieran Trippier has failed to offer the same attacking output or balance while deputising, and could be an injury doubt ahead of England's clash with Slovakia.

The sense of Southgate in taking an unfit Shaw can certainly be questioned, though when factoring in major tournaments only, you can understand why.

England have a 58.3% win percentage (7/12) when Shaw is in the team compared to a 35.3% (6/17) success rate when he is not, while conceding double the amount of goals per 90 without Shaw (1.0 to 0.5).

Does Ronaldo deserve Martinez's backing?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the record appearance maker (28) and goalscorer (14) at the Euros, but at 39, should he be spearheading Portugal's attack?

Ronaldo failed to score from 12 shots in the group stage, as for the first time at a major tournament, he did not manage to hit the back of the net in the first round.

The Al-Nassr striker scored 10 goals from qualifying, but against more resilient defences, he has found it tougher, and against Georgia he was kept quiet, though he did spurn one Opta-defined 'big chance'.

Ronaldo's appearance against Georgia marked his 50th such match at a major tournament, a European record, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner having only sat out two fixtures at a World Cup or Euros since 2004. Portugal have a 46% win ratio with him in their team in major competitions, but is it time to cut the cord?

France need Mbappe's magic

Kylian Mbappe recovered from a broken nose to play, while donning a mask, for France against Poland last time out, and it was his penalty that put Les Bleus ahead before Robert Lewandowski equalised from the spot.

That marked Mbappe's first goal at the Euros, while he is now just one behind Michel Platini (14) in France's all-time list of record goalscorers at major tournaments.

France recorded 2.32 xG against Poland, with Mbappe accounting for 1.31 of that. In the match that he missed, a 0-0 draw against the Netherlands, Les Bleus mustered only 1.43 xG, showing how much Mbappe was missed.

Missing out

There are some big players who definitely will not be featuring in the last 16, and that is due to the fact they are suspended after picking up two yellow cards throughout the group stage.

Italy's Riccardo Calafiori has been one of the stars of the tournament, but the Bologna defender will not play against Switzerland on Saturday.

Hosts Germany will also be without a key defender in Jonathan Tah.

This campaign has been Tah's first at a major tournament, but the Bayer Leverkusen centre-back has been impressive so far and will be a miss when Germany go up against Denmark.

Turkiye, meanwhile, will have to play Austria without Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Inter playmaker has only missed one match for his country at a major tournament, though Turkiye did win that one, but facing in-form Austria without their best player is a daunting prospect. 

England star Phil Foden was set to join back up with his team-mates on Thursday, according to reports.

Foden left England's Euro 2024 camp on Wednesday due to a "pressing family matter".

It was subsequently confirmed Foden was attending the birth of his third child.

The 24-year-old was then travelling back to Germany late on Thursday.

England face Slovakia in the last 16 on Sunday.

Foden has started all three of England's matches at the tournament so far, though the Premier League Player of the Season has so far failed to find his best form.

Phil Foden has left the England squad to fly back home 'temporarily' due to a pressing family matter, an FA spokesperson confirmed. 

The Manchester City star played 89 minutes in the Three Lions' final Group C fixture against Slovenia on Tuesday night. 

Foden has started in all three of Gareth Southgate's side's group fixtures, featuring in England's win over Serbia and 1-1 draw with Denmark. 

After confirming top spot in Cologne, the Three Lions last-16 fixture will take place this Sunday at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. 

Gareth Southgate pleaded for England's supporters to "stay with the team", after venting their frustration following the goalless draw with Slovenia.

The Three Lions advanced to the Euro 2024 knockout stages as Group C winners, despite winning just one of their opening three games and scoring two goals. 

Southgate's side, who came under scrutiny following their 1-1 draw with Denmark, did little to silence those critics with another underwhelming performance against the Slovenians.

Despite dominating large periods of the contest with 74% of possession, it yielded an expected goals (xG) tally of just 0.87, with the front three of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden registering just two shots on target between them.

Sections of England fans jeered their team at the final whistle, while hurling empty drinks cups in the direction of Southgate as he applauded them.

The Three Lions boss empathised with the supporters, but urged them to point the finger of blame at him, rather than his players.

"I understand it. I'm not going to back away from it," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "The most important thing is the supporters stay with the team.

"I understand the narrative towards me, and that's better for the team than it being towards them. But it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I've not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.

"[The players] kept composure in a game where they've come into a really challenging environment. Of course, we'd love a couple of goals that sends everybody home happy. But we were definitely an improvement on what we did in the last game."

"I think the changes we made had a positive effect on the game tonight. We weren't able to find the right pass, the final finish. But we are improving."

Despite the disappointment at their performance levels, England have managed to avoid the half of the draw that includes the likes of France, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

The Three Lions will play either the Netherlands, who finished third in Group D, or Group E's third-placed side in the round of 16 in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.

And Southgate knows a positive atmosphere within the camp will be crucial as the Euro 2020 finalists target another deep run in this competition.

"You never want to look back having not topped the group and spiral into tough matches where people can then accuse you that, because you didn't win the group, you've ended up with a tougher draw," he added.

"We have made England over the last three or four years fun again. I think it has been enjoyable for the players, and we have got to be very, very careful that it stays that way."

Gareth Southgate acknowledged it is "hard work" for England so far at Euro 2024, but attempted to focus on the positives despite another underwhelming draw for his side, this time against Slovenia.

The goalless clash in Cologne on Tuesday was enough for the Three Lions to secure top spot in Group C ahead of Denmark, who also drew 0-0 with Serbia.

Southgate's side therefore avoided a last-16 tie against Germany, but struggled once more to find an attacking spark.

The front three of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden managed just two shots on target between them, while also registering just nine touches in Slovenia's penalty box.

England came under heavy criticism following their 1-1 draw with Denmark last week and there were boos from sections of their supporters following the full-time whistle in this game.

But Southgate insisted his side had performed better in their final group outing. 

"I thought we were much-improved with the ball," he told ITV. "We've created some good openings.

"At the moment, it's hard work for us. We're not quite getting that break in front of goal.

"We've had the discipline to keep a clean sheet, which has ended up meaning we top the group. I understand some reactions, but it's a strange environment we're playing in.

"We wanted to win the game, as you saw from the attacking changes we made. There were lots of things we can build on from the game and a lot of things are starting to come together.

"We looked more dangerous and we had a good impact from our subs. We've now just got to convert those chances."

The Three Lions boss praised the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon for their displays from the bench, and also explained his decision to replace Conor Gallagher - the sole change to the starting line-up from the Denmark game - at half-time.

"They're really young players, so we're balancing blooding them in a difficult environment, but they used the ball really well for us," he said.

"We started with Conor, who presses well, and I thought we did that better at the start of the game. We then felt Kobbie's ability to move the ball through the middle of the pitch was going to be helpful, which he did.

"I don't think we were going to go from where we were to winning 3-0 or 4-0; it's not realistic in the intensity in the game that we had. But there were a lot of things I was really pleased with."

England now await the identity of their last-16 opponents, which will either be the Netherlands - who finished third in Group D - or the third-placed nation in Group E.

The Euro 2020 finalists have avoided the half of the draw containing the likes of Germany, Spain, Portugal and France.

However, Southgate was quick to sweep aside any suggestions his side have been handed a more straightforward path towards a potentially deep run in the competition.

"We have to take it a step at a time," he added. "This was an improvement, but we've got to improve to win in the next round clearly.

"We have topped the group, and that was the objective at the start.

"We've got to play well and whoever we play, it's going to be a really tough game. We shouldn't be seduced by which half of the draw we're in."

Scotland are out of Euro 2024 but must have a case for the best support at the tournament, though that will be no consolation to Steve Clarke.

The Scots suffered a gut-wrenching late defeat to Hungary on Sunday, while Germany survived a scare to top Group A with a draw against Switzerland.

Numerous other sides are preparing for potentially decisive clashes in their final group meetings later in the week, with one or two enjoying the support of the travelling masses.

Others may be turning their heads away from football with a few friendly boardgames...

Here, we unpack the best of the day's social media clips from the tournament in Germany.

Flower of Scotland wilts in Stuttgart

Scotland are heading for home soil after Kevin Csoboth scored the latest goal in European Championship history (99 minutes and 32 seconds) to snatch a 1-0 win for Hungary.

The Tartan Army once again travelled in numbers, with their rendition of the Scottish national anthem hardly befitting of another disappointing performance on the pitch.

Scotland can, at least, celebrate boasting the best support at the tournament, though they will need to find an early flight or two now.

Poignant moment for Hungary

Hungary's last-gasp salvaging act against Scotland was somewhat marred by Barnabas Vargas' concerning head injury, with the striker leaving the pitch on a stretcher after a collision with goalkeeper Angus Gunn.

Vargas was in the thoughts of all his team-mates as full-time celebrations took place, with the Hungary players holding up his shirt to offer their well-wishes and a speedy recovery.

Can't start a fire...

The mood in the England camp may have been subdued after Thursday's disappointing draw with Denmark, but Phil Foden is certainly feeling the love from the Three Lions out in Germany.

Speaking on England's much-loved Lions' Den coverage on their social media, Foden even managed to get host Josh Denzel to sing his own chant, to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing in the Dark'.

Gareth Southgate will be hoping Foden can find the required spark when England wrap up their Group C campaign against Slovenia on Tuesday.

Party atmosphere builds in Germany

Julian Nagelsmann has offered the hosts a lot to celebrate as Germany continue to impress at this tournament – and their supporters were in a partying mood before kick-off against Switzerland.

UEFA's social media for Euro 2024 shared a video of the German faithful bouncing around in unison outside Frankfurt Arena, well over two hours before their final group kick-off.

That atmosphere will only have been somewhat muted after a 1-1 draw with Switzerland, though spare a thought for the saxophonist's lungs in the first place!

Silky skills from Europe's best

The European Championship brings together the best footballers from the continent – sorry, Erling Haaland and Norway – and with that comes ever-lasting memories, historic moments and dazzling skills.

From Cristiano Ronaldo chopping one way and another, Kevin De Bruyne's quick-thinking feet or the dancing Jeremy Doku – UEFA's official account had supporters covered with a montage of the best moves.

Oranje aiming for checkmate

The Netherlands will be hoping to secure a top-two spot in Group D when they meet Austria on Tuesday, but that is not the only competition the Oranje players have been concentrating on.

Fresh from impressing in Friday's goalless draw with France, Tijjani Reijnders was caught by the Netherlands' official X account gripped by a game of chess with Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Much like the French midfield, Reijnders navigated his way through this match-up – Ronald Koeman will be hoping there is no checkmate for the Oranje in their final group game. 

La Roja loving life in Donaueschingen

Spain are already through as Group B winners with a game to spare, leaving La Roja with plenty of time for reflection and to feel the love of their travelling supporters.

Surrounded by the Spanish supporters at their training base in Donaueschingen, Alvaro Morata, Rodri and a host of familiar faces took the time to repay the efforts of their fans.

Italy touchdown in Leipzig

Flying around Germany for each group stage match, Italy touched down in Leipzig for their decisive meeting against Croatia.

The Azzurri shared a clip of their players arriving for their crucial Group B clash on Monday, though will Luciano Spalletti be jetting off for an early exit without victory?

Gareth Southgate's game management came under fire once again on Thursday, as England produced another underwhelming display in a 1-1 draw with Denmark.

The Three Lions were second-best for long periods and appeared content to sit back after Harry Kane's 18th-minute opener, with Morten Hjulmand's rasping strike handing Denmark a point – the least they deserved.

Former England defender Jamie Carragher was among those to highlight the lethargic nature of the display, saying more energy was required from the bench.

Posting on X as Southgate made a triple substitution on the 70-minute mark, introducing Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins for Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Kane, Carragher wrote: "Pleased Southgate has made changes. By the look of England so far they are going to need real energy from the bench in every game. Disappointed Anthony Gordon wasn't one of those changes."

Southgate's reluctance to use Gordon was a hot topic on social media, with England again looking lopsided in the absence of a natural left winger or left-back.

Just 23.3% of England's attacking touches came on that flank, with 44.6% coming on the right-hand side, where Kyle Walker – not renowned for his attacking qualities – often looking like the Three Lions' best outlet.

One major criticism of Southgate at recent tournaments has been a perceived failure to change games from the bench, but does the data back up that idea?

As far as the Euros are concerned, yes. Southgate has made 33 substitutions in total at the 2020 and 2024 editions, with those players playing a total of 682 minutes.

They have just one goal and one assist between them in that time. Both came at Euro 2020, with Jordan Henderson scoring in a 4-0 quarter-final win over Ukraine and Jack Grealish assisting Kane's header against Germany in the previous round.

In 97 games under Southgate overall, England have scored 19 goals via substitutes, a paltry figure given the Three Lions have netted 207 times during his reign, playing 35 qualification matches against largely inferior opponents.

Those goals have come via 13 players, with nobody netting more than two (Tammy Abraham, Danny Welbeck, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Grealish and Kane).

Notably, only two of those 13 players – Kane and Watkins – are in England's squad for this tournament. Rashford (32) and Grealish (21) have 53 substitute appearances between them under Southgate but were the two most high-profile omissions from his party.

Carragher also believes Southgate must recognise "football is about picking the best team, not the best players".

While Foden has appeared frustrated while stationed on the left-hand side, Trent Alexander-Arnold has struggled to aid England's ball progression in an unfamiliar midfield role – only eight of his 40 attempted passes against Denmark were into the final third.

Carragher wrote for The Telegraph: "Unfortunately, two of the best Premier League footballers – Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden – will have to be sacrificed now.  Introducing Alexander-Arnold into midfield in a major tournament was always a risk. 

"It is a more physically demanding position than full-back, and, on the evidence so far, Alexander-Arnold has more time and space to utilise his passing range when he is in the hybrid role.

"Nobody loves watching Foden more than me. But for England to come up with a system that works and complements everyone, he cannot operate in the starting XI with Jude Bellingham and Kane if they are all trying to occupy the same space and positions."

Foden did not have a single touch in the attacking third within the width of the six-yard box against Denmark, and when it came to making changes, Southgate preferred to stick with a below-par Bellingham rather than shift the Manchester City star infield.

Southgate's substitutions will be key if England are to grow into this tournament, and the data suggests he has improvements to make in that area.

England have a track record of not being at their best in the second matches of major tournaments.

At Euro 2020, Scotland held out for a goalless draw at Wembley. At the 2022 World Cup, it was the United States who frustrated the Three Lions in a 1-1 draw.

In Frankfurt on Thursday, at Euro 2024, it was Denmark's turn. Harry Kane's opener was cancelled out by Morten Hjolmund's long-range stunner.

Yet this was an England performance that has been long in the making, and their manager Gareth Southgate must shoulder plenty of the blame.

England headed into Euro 2024 as one of the favourites, but on the evidence of their first two matches, then barring flashes, that tag is definitely not befitting.

In the end, England could arguably be considered as being fortunate to come away with a point. The Danes accumulated 0.58 expected goals to the Three Lions' 0.36 in the second half, and looked the more likely to score even if they didn't truly test Jordan Pickford.

England did take the draw, which sees them stay top of Group C, albeit they missed the chance to secure passage into the last 16 as group winners.

With four points, they should progress, but there is no guarantee on which of the top three places they will take, and Southgate has plenty of food for thought.

But under Southgate, England have now failed to win 13 games in which they led at some stage, losing five of those.

What can he do to change track?

TAA in midfield should come to an end

The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment must stop. He is not a midfielder.

This is a prime example of Southgate's flawed thinking. Alexander-Arnold is a world-class player, but he is a full-back who needs the freedom to drift infield - he is not a midfielder. Indeed, at times during his 54 minutes on the pitch, he resembled a spare part.

That being said, Southgate will likely point to the numbers: Alexander-Arnold created three chances, a team-high, played five line-breaking passes and registered an 87.5 per cent passing accuracy, while also attempting two crosses.

But there is a severe lack of balance in that area of the field, and it is skewing the entirety of England's system.

Southgate's attempt to address that was by bringing on Conor Gallagher, who is a busy box-to-box presence, but does not solve the issue of balance. Jude Bellingham drops deep to get on the ball, but with Phil Foden stationed out wide, there is nobody dropping into the '10 spot' with regularity.

Get Kane involved

A move away from 4-2-3-1, which has seemingly been introduced to get the best out of Bellingham as a number 10, might in turn benefit Kane.

The Bayern Munich star, fresh from scoring 44 goals for the Bundesliga giants, showed his clinical edge with the only chance he got, but that was the sole touch he managed in Denmark's box.

His tally of 22 touches was two fewer than England's captain managed against Serbia (24), and he found himself hauled off in a bizarre triple change around the 70th minute.

Southgate threw on Ollie Watkins as Kane's replacement, but why not try the two together? 

Kane's opener was his fifth goal at the Euros, making him the first England player and eighth player overall to score five or more goals at both the men's World Cup and the European Championship. How can you take such a threat off with the match poised at 1-1?

Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze were the other substitutes handed a chance - they hardly struck fear into Denmark's defence. Anthony Gordon, a winger truly capable of stretching the opposition and offering England a threat down the left, was left on the bench, as was Cole Palmer, the Premier League's Young Player of the Season. Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford didn't make the squad, of course.

Bowen and Eze contributed just 22 touches between them; neither of the duo created a chance, nor had a shot.

Food for thought on Foden

If Foden is going to start for England, then it has to be in a central role.

His best work is done in the middle of the pitch, which is increasingly crowded, and, with Kieran Trippier playing left-back, Foden is too often isolated if he tries to operate out on the flank. As it is, Foden is operating in a halfway house, and not fulfilling either role particularly well.

But the 24-year-old was England's most effective attacker on Thursday. He had the most shots (four), and was desperately unlucky to strike the post with one of them, which came after he drifted over into a more central position.

Too often, though, he was out wide with little support. He did not have a single touch in the attacking third in the width of the six-yard box, and while Denmark did an admirable job defensively, there is so much more to come.

Foden has to improve, yet this system and tactics are simply coming nowhere near close to getting the best out of him.

And that is one of several problems Southgate, who has done so much good work during his tenure, must solve. As it stands, he does not look like the manager best suited to coaching this squad of superstars.

England know that the last 16 of Euro 2024 is within touching distance as they head into a reunion with Denmark.

The Three Lions beat the Danes in the semi-finals at Euro 2020, coming from behind to win 2-1 after extra time.

Harry Kane was England's hero as he converted a penalty winner, though spot-kicks would of course go on to prove to be their downfall in the final against Italy.

There is less on the line when England face Denmark again on Thursday, though Gareth Southgate's team will progress to the knockout stage should they win.

Here, we use Opta data to preview the Group C clash.

What's expected?

England are forecasted to win this one, with the Opta supercomputer handing them a 54.5 per cent chance of getting the job done in Frankfurt.

Denmark are sure to be no pushovers, though, and have a 20.6 per cent win likelihood, with the draw threat at 25 per cent.

This will be the fourth encounter between Denmark and England at a major tournament. Three of those will have come at the Euros, and one at the 2002 World Cup.

Denmark won none of the previous three meetings (D1 L2), scoring only one goal in the process, Mikkel Damsgaard's free-kick in the semi-final of Euro 2020.

There have only been five goals scored in the last four meetings between Denmark (two) and England (three) in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the Three Lions only had 12 touches in Serbia's box in their 1-0 win on MD1, their lowest total of touches in the opposition box in a European Championship game since 2012 against Ukraine (also 12).

Indeed, the England v Serbia match saw only 11 shots (five for England, six for Serbia) – that tally is the lowest on record in a European Championship match, fewer than every one of the other 322 matches in the competition since 1980.

England have also kept a clean sheet in each of their last five group-stage matches at the European Championship finals, the longest such run in the competition's history.

So, this game is probably not one to expect too many goals in.

Bellingham a safe bet but can Foden and Kane flourish?

Jude Bellingham came into Euro 2024 with the pressure and hype ramped right up. He is the face of this England squad, and there is an onus on him to deliver.

Well, he started on the right foot, scoring in the 13th minute on Sunday to seal that 1-0 victory over Serbia.

Bellingham displayed the kind of chance-sniffing instinct he has demonstrated so brilliantly during his first season at Real Madrid, getting on the end of Bukayo Saka's deflected cross and powering home with his head.

Having become the first player to play at two European Championship tournaments before the age of 21, he is also the second England player to score at two major tournaments before turning 21 (also scored vs Iran at the 2022 World Cup), along with Michael Owen, who scored at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Bellingham was crucial in every aspect against Serbia. He led England for touches (93), while only Declan Rice (81) and Kyle Walker (77) attempted more passes than the 20-year-old, who also competed in a team-leading 16 duels, winning 10 of them, and was successful with two of his three tackles.

Southgate's system seems designed to allow Bellingham to flourish, though has that come at the expense of Phil Foden?

The Manchester City star struggled when he did find space against Serbia, though there is perhaps a case that the Premier League Player of the Year is being shoehorned in out of position, too.

Kane, meanwhile, had just two touches in the opening 45 minutes, before finishing with 24 – exactly half that of Jordan Pickford and the lowest of any England outfielder who started the match. The Bayern Munich striker did have a header tipped onto the crossbar, but that was his only chance of the game. Southgate needs to get him more service.

England average 1.9 goals per game under Southgate at major tournaments, the best ratio of any Three Lions boss, but there could be so much more to come from this star-studded attack.

Christian the Great (Dane)

Christian Eriksen scored his maiden goal at the European Championship in Denmark's 1-1 draw with Slovenia.

At 32 years and 123 days old, he became the oldest Dane to score at the Euros and oldest at a major tournament since 33-year-old Jon Dahl Tomasson at the 2010 World Cup.

It was a clever run and deft finish from the Manchester United playmaker, who created seven chances from set-pieces in the match, the most by a player in a European Championship fixture since Gary McAllister in 1992 for Scotland against Germany (eight).

Getting Eriksen into dangerous positions has to be the gameplan for Kasper Hjulmand's team, who completed 583 passes and enjoyed an 89 per cent passing accuracy against Slovenia, both record highs for the Danes that Opta has on record (since 1980) at the European Championship.

Despite their run to the last four three years ago, Denmark have won just one of their last six group stage games at the Euros (D1 L4), beating Russia 4-1 at Euro 2020 to ensure qualification to the round of 16.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Denmark - Rasmus Hojlund 

Eriksen will be the one England have to stop influencing the match in midfield, but John Stones and Marc Guehi – should they start – will have to be on high alert to keep Man United's Hojlund under wraps, too.

He only had one shot against Slovenia, which he did get on target, but he is a quality finisher and can certainly do some damage.

England - Phil Foden

Foden created just one chance in a subdued performance against Serbia, but there can be no doubting his quality.

Get him more involved, and in fairness, Foden has to sharpen up when he does get on the ball, and England will surely have far too much for Denmark's defence.

England must stick with Phil Foden despite an "off night" against Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener, according to Manchester United great Roy Keane.

Foden created just one chance in Sunday's 1-0 victory as the Manchester City star moved to the left flank, making way to accommodate an attack of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane.

The 24-year-old still managed 19 passes in the final third, only bettered by match-winning team-mate Jude Bellingham (24), but failed to register a single shot in an unusually quiet outing.

Former United midfielder Keane has no doubts over Foden's ability, however, and lamented critics calling for his dropping from Gareth Southgate's starting XI.

"This idea that you should start taking him out of the team, Phil Foden is an amazing, fantastic player who has had a great season," Keane said on ITV on Monday.

"OK, he was quiet last night but he is entitled to an off night. Don't be writing this kid off. He has got so much talent. You stick with him.

"You can talk about tactics and systems until the cows come home. Foden and these quality players will produce. He had a quiet night. Relax, everyone. He will be fine."

Bellingham stole the show as his 13th-minute header from Saka's deflected right-wing cross proved the difference.

Real Madrid's Champions League-winning midfielder also became the first player to score for the Three Lions at both the World Cup and European Championship while playing his club football outside of England.

Kane was another to be kept quiet by Serbia, though the England captain had a late header expertly pushed away by Predrag Rajkovic.

Keane insists Southgate's plethora of talent will always deliver in some form, though, whether it comes from Kane, Bellingham, Foden or any other player.

"They have got to stay calm with it all," Keane added. "Because they have three or four world-class players, when Kane or Foden are having a bit of an off-night, players like Bellingham will step up.

"It might be Foden or Kane in the next game. That is the beauty of having four or five world-class players."

England head to Frankfurt on Thursday to face Denmark, aiming to extend their embryonic lead at the top of Group C before their final meeting with Slovenia.