Contents
Read on one page Contents
Page 1What you need to know about the German opponent
Page 2Thank God, no gifted winger
How has it been going for Denmark so far?
They haven’t lost yet, and they haven’t won either. The Danish team looks robust, but there hasn’t been much going on in the first three games. Only one half of the European Championship looked really good, the first 45 minutes of the opening game against Slovenia. This was followed by a 1:1 against the equally unassuming England and a tough 0:0 against Serbia.
Perhaps the Danes were just infected by the disappointing football in Group C, because they actually have a lot of game intelligence in midfield, especially with Christian Eriksen. The fact that the team already played a few poor games in qualifying, including a 2:3 defeat against Kazakhstan, speaks against this. Denmark had already lost the form they had at the 2021 European Championship (when they made it to the semi-finals) at the World Cup in Qatar (where they were eliminated in the preliminary round); and since then the team has not quite got back on track.
What are the strengths of the team?
Denmark simply has a lot of good footballers who play in the top European leagues. Coach Kasper Hjulmand’s defence is made up of players who play in the Premier League or, like Andreas Christensen, for FC Barcelona. Pierre Emile Højbjerg runs through the midfield for Tottenham, his teammate Christian Eriksen plays for Manchester United, as does the young striker Rasmus Højlund. Højlund is tall and robust, but still faster than many central defenders, and he sometimes lets a man run into space with the ball. This means he can put a lot of defenders under pressure. And Danish teams are always a difficult collective to play against.
And the weaknesses?
The lack of ideas with the ball. Fine teamwork near goal has been rare for the Danes recently, and the coach was criticized at home before the European Championships. The goal against Slovenia came about because full-back Alexander Bah took a throw-in quickly. Otherwise, they like to use long-range shots when combinations falter. That can be dangerous, as with Christian Eriksen’s attempt against Serbia, which almost succeeded. And Denmark’s second goal of the tournament was also scored like that, against England. Morten Hjulmand hit the ball so hard and precisely that no goalkeeper would have been able to defused it – although Hjulmand will miss the match against Germany due to a yellow card suspension.
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In the first few games, the Danish defense also had a few gaps, which gave hope for opportunities for the clever German attackers. When Slovenia pressed harder towards the Danish goal in the second half of the opening game, they quickly had a few chances. The midfield of Pierre Emile Højbjerg and Morten Hjulmand was repeatedly outplayed with just a few passes, and Christian Eriksen’s strengths are also more offensive. And even with set pieces and long balls, which should suit the tall Danish defenders, the opponents had chances.
They haven’t lost yet, and they haven’t won either. The Danish team looks robust, but there hasn’t been much going on in the first three games. Only one half of the European Championship looked really good, the first 45 minutes of the opening game against Slovenia. This was followed by a 1:1 against the equally unassuming England and a tough 0:0 against Serbia.
Perhaps the Danes were just infected by the disappointing football in Group C, because they actually have a lot of game intelligence in midfield, especially with Christian Eriksen. The fact that the team already played a few poor games in qualifying, including a 2:3 defeat against Kazakhstan, speaks against this. Denmark had already lost the form they had at the 2021 European Championship (when they made it to the semi-finals) at the World Cup in Qatar (where they were eliminated in the preliminary round); and since then the team has not quite got back on track.
