England got their Euro 2024 campaign under way with a nervy 1-0 against Serbia on Sunday night, and attention now turns to their next opponents.
i was on hand in Stuttgart earlier in the day to get the lowdown on Denmark, who opened Group C with a 1-1 draw against Slovenia.
Here’s what you need to know:
When is England vs Denmark?
England’s next match at Euro 2024 is against Denmark at 5pm (BST) on Thursday 20 June.
The game in Frankfurt will be shown live on BBC One, the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.
How did Denmark perform against Slovenia?
Euro 2024 is only in its first week and it already has its lead story. There will be no more popular goalscorer in Germany than Christian Eriksen, who struck 1,100 days on from suffering a cardiac arrest in his last appearance in this tournament.
There were tears then and tears now, mercifully of a different kind in Stuttgart than there were in Copenhagen. It was a typically smooth strike too, a half-volley that skipped satisfyingly off the surface and into the bottom corner. That it happened in front of the red wall made it even sweeter. The emotional release was all-encompassing.
It just had to be him!
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 16, 2024
Christian Eriksen scores on his return to the European Championships#Euro2024 | #SVNDEN pic.twitter.com/sW6MeOkgUY
Eriksen will soon surpass Simon Kjaer as Denmark’s most-capped men’s player of all-time. He has won league titles and domestic cups and played in a Champions League final. But this was the defining moment of a spectacular career. The 32-year-old could have scored again later in the first-half, but let’s not get greedy.
Denmark’s fatal error was failing to use that goal to their advantage. Slovenia lacked belief in the first-half but battled back after the break and were well deserving of their point.
In Benjamin Sesko, they possess a future world-beater and a Zlatan Ibrahimovic clone. He evidently cares little for xG, twice coming inches away from scoring spectacularly from distance, with one effort zipping past the post and another almost splitting it in two.
Within a minute of Sesko smacking the upright, Slovenia had an equaliser their efforts warranted. Eric Janza’s optimistic half-volley from a partially cleared corner flew past Kasper Schmeichel, aided by a significant deflection off Morten Hjulmand.
Slovenia’s fans were vastly outnumbered by their red-shirted counterparts and were naturally drowned out for the most part until after the final whistle when they celebrated wildly. Who can blame them, 24 years on from their last appearance at these finals.
England were preparing to face Serbia while their Group C opponents scrapped it out, but won’t be overawed by Denmark’s opponents when they run the tape back.
What are Denmark’s strengths and weaknesses?
Attention will have to be paid to the front two, who were such a handful for Slovenia’s back three in the opening 45 that it made you wonder whether that once ubiquitous tactic will come back into fashion.
Theirs is a lesser-seen big man-big man set-up with Rasmus Hojlund, of Manchester United, and Wolfsburg’s Jonas Wind both comfortably members of the six-foot club and they threw their weight around.
Both were involved in Eriksen’s goal. Hojlund won the throw-in deep in Slovenian territory after a purposeful run down the channel and from the restart, Wind brilliantly backheeled a pass into Eriksen’s path to score past Jan Oblak.
Conversely, there are question marks over their ruthlessness. At 21, Hojlund can be forgiven for being a patchy finisher but it proved costly here with his miss from two yards preventing the Danes from doubling their lead. Wind has only reached double-figure goals (with 11 in 2023-24) in one of his three Bundesliga seasons.
In theory, the Danes have the perfect midfield blend too: Eriksen provides the craft, Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg supplies the grit and in-demand Sporting Lisbon star Morten Hjulmand brings the energy. They dovetailed effectively in the first half, but lost a grip of the game in the second as Slovenia gained a foothold.
By far Denmark’s biggest concern ahead of their meeting with England will be their defending. Their preoccupation with Sesko enabled opportunities for others and while Andraz Sporar and Adam Cerin spurned big chances, Harry Kane’s support acts are far more ruthless.
And who is the manager?
The muted response from Danish supporters after the final whistle could not have been more different from the carnival atmosphere they created on the walk-up to the ground from Stuttgart’s Bad-Cannstatt station. After a disappointing World Cup they hoped for a positive start that wasn’t forthcoming.
That will do little to dispel the doubts that some have over manager Kasper Hjulmand. The 52-year-old surpassed expectations by leading his country to the Euro 2020 semi-finals three years ago and received widespread praise for how he galvanised the squad after Eriken’s collapse.
But his popularity has dipped a little since then, influenced by that poor showing in Qatar, his loyalty to the old guard – Denmark have the fourth-oldest squad in the tournament – and a perceived unwillingness to bring the next generation, led by Celtic playmaker Matt O’Riley, through.
He made his first substitute a minute after Slovenia equalised, long after the momentum had shifted. It was a reactive approach when a proactive one was required.
There remains an appreciation for the work he has done. Hjulmand was serenaded onto the pitch as he strode out to applaud the thousands who had made the journey to Germany pre-kick-off. But just like Gareth Southgate, he is seemingly fighting the tide of public opinion.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/wXv8W17
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