what you need to know about Denmark

The qualification path and the group

Located in Group D of the Euro 2020 qualifiers with Switzerland, Ireland, Georgia and Gibraltar, Denmark has shown itself to be solid by not losing a match. On the outside, however, the record was disappointing with three draws and a victory against Gibraltar. Having to work to the end, Christian Eriksen’s teammates held on against Ireland (1-1) to get their ticket. During the Euro, Denmark is located in Group B with Belgium, Russia and Finland. If the first seem favorites and the third are novices, the fight with Russia may be interesting.

The eleven type:

The qualities and weaknesses

Since the golden generation of the 1990s who won Euro 1992 and reached the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup, Denmark had never looked so strong. Solid on all fronts, the team does not have a huge star apart from Christian Eriksen and Kasper Schmeichel to a lesser extent, but it does not present any real shortcoming. In goals, Peter Schmeichel’s son Kasper is steadfast and comes out of a full season with Leicester. On the side of the side it’s tough with Daniel Wass who is a safe bet and Joakim Maehle who slowly wins at Atalanta. In the axis of the defense, the duo composed of Andreas Christensen and Simon Kjaer have made it possible to obtain 8 clean sheets over the last 10 matches.

A rigorous team for several years, Denmark is in the process of refining offensively under the leadership of coach Kasper Hjulmand. If this still requires confirmation over time, we can feel a rise in power with Jonas Wind who took the lead in the attack. In competition with Kasper Dolberg, he allows Denmark to have two referent players in front. Workers Martin Braithwaite and Yussuf Poulsen have become accustomed to taking the lanes, a position they occupy less often in the club. In the midfield, the trio Thomas Delaney, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Thomas Delaney, Christian Eriksen have grown in depth and automatisms since the last World Cup. The bench may be Denmark’s slight weak point but with players like Jannik Vestergaard, Joachim Andersen, Oliver Abildgaard, Robert Skov, Andreas Skov Olsen and Mikel Damsgaard, there will be a minimum of talent to support the holders.

The coach: Kasper Hjulmand

Coach of Denmark from 2016 to 2020, Age Hareide should have taken Denmark to the Euro but he took over the Norwegian club Rosenborg on September 1, 2020. Having left two months earlier, he leaves the hand to Kasper Hjulmand. Former coach of Mainz and Nordsjaelland, he won the Danish championship in 2011/2012. The 49-year-old man who also had an advisory role in a Ghanaian club – Right to Dream – has been Denmark’s coach since August 1, 2020. His record is very promising since in 10 matches, he has won 7 matches for 1 draw (0-0 against England) and 2 defeats (2-0 and 4-2 against Belgium).

The player to watch: Jonas Wind

When we imagine Denmark, we think more of Christian Eriksen who has been reliving since the start of 2021 at Inter Milan or Kasper Schmeichel still performing with Leicester. Nevertheless, Jonas Wind can become one of the great players of his nation. Trained in Copenhagen where he still wears the colors, this versatile center-forward (he can play a notch lower) comes out of a full season with 16 goals and 7 assists in 30 matches. Last season, he was also the architect of the Copenhagen campaign until the quarter-final of the Europa League (1-0 defeat after extra time against Manchester United). Promised with a great future, it should soon be exported to one of the five biggest championships. The one who already has 6 capes and 3 goals since his debut in selection last October is already important in selection and a brilliant Euro 2020 could give him even more light.

The list of 26:

Guardians:

Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester), Jonas Lössl (Everton) and Frederik Ronnow (Schalke 04)

Defenders:

Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton), Joachim Andersen (Fulham), Zanka (Copenhagen), Daniel Wass (Valencia), Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese), Joakim Maehle (Atalanta) and Nicolai Boilesen (Copenhagen)

Environments :

Christian Eriksen (Inter Milan), Thomas Delaney (Borussia Dortmund), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Mathias Jensen (Brentford), Anders Christiansen (Malmö) and Christian Norgaard (Brentford)

Attackers:

Kasper Dolberg (OGC Nice), Jonas Wind (Copenhagen), Andreas Cornelius (Parma), Martin Braithwaite (FC Barcelona), Robert Skov (Hoffenheim), Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig) and Andreas Skov Olsen (Bologna) )