Euro 2012 preview: Denmark
Denmark's probable starting line-up
It’s impossible to think of Denmark at the European Championships without thinking of their astonishing victory 20 years ago. Then, they triumphed at Euro 92 despite not qualifying for the tournament initially…yet they’re even more of outsiders this time around.
That’s not due to the ability of the side, but because of their group. Together with Germany, Holland and Portugal (three of the top five sides in the world, according to the FIFA Rankings), they have the worst draw of any of the 16 teams in the competition. In Group A, they might have been favourites. In group B, they’re expected to finish bottom.
Yet there are grounds for optimism. Denmark finished above Portugal in their qualification group, and thrive upon the role of underdog.
Eriksen
This is a slightly different type of Danish side to usual. For years they seemed to turn up at major tournaments with the same mix of players, mainly based around the wing threat from Martin Jorgensen, Jesper Gronkjaer, Thomas Kahlenberg and Dennis Rommedahl. The latter two remain, and Rommedahl – who still has good pace despite being 34 next month, will start on the right flank. But overall, Denmark seem to be more of an all-round threat.
The reason for that is the presence of Cristian Eriksen, the highly talented Ajax number ten who acts as the chief playmaker in Morten Olsen’s system. He travelled to the World Cup two years ago but was too young to have a meaningful impact. Now, he’s unquestionably Denmark’s star player, and perhaps the player in the tournament most responsible for his team’s creative threat. He has tremendously quick feet, can play clever through balls but also likes a chipped ball over the defence to a winger making a late run into the area. He’ll be able to cope with the big responsibility – his appreciation of space is fantastic and his movement into zones to receive the ball is excellent.
Around Eriksen
Because of Eriksen’s free role this is a slightly unusual system – not quite a 4-2-3-1, not quite a 4-3-3, more of a 4-2-1-3. Eriksen has two sturdy holding midfielders behind him: Niki Zimling and William Kvist have an excellent partnership, and generally stay in position rather than venturing forward.
Eriksen will be supplying three other attackers. Nicklas Bendtner has an excellent record at international level and is perfect for the system – he can hold the ball up, and also get on the end of crosses. Expect Rommedahl to motor down the right before attempting to provide low balls across the penalty area. On the other flank, Michael Krohn-Dehli plays a narrower role, a half-winger and more of a link between midfield and attack, which is important as it means Eriksen doesn’t have to do all the connecting by himself.
Technical defence
At the back, Denmark seem vulnerable to individual errors. Bad mistakes from Daniel Agger and Christian Poulsen gifted Brazil two goals in a pre-tournament friendly. However, they possess centre-backs very good at playing incisive passes, so opponents need to be wary of them stepping forward and firing a pass into the front four, bypassing the midfield altogether. Daniel Agger’s left foot brings good balance to that department, but his centre-back partner is unclear. Simon Kjaer should be first-choice, but he’s endured a couple of disappointing season at club level and could be replaced by Andreas Bjelland.
Denmark’s left-back will be slightly more attacking than their right-back – for a combination of two reasons. First, Rommadahl’s high positioning means that overlapping is difficult down that zone, and Lars Jacobsen will be cautious with positioning. On the left, however, Simon Poulsen scampers up and down the line well.
In goal, Thomas Sorensen’s injury means Stephan Andersen will start.
Depth?
With the exception of the question marks in defence, this should be one of the more predictable sides in the competition, partly because Denmark lack strength in depth, particularly going forward. “We can’t afford to get any injuries, otherwise we will not qualify,” Olsen bluntly admits. There is no clear supersub ready to replace the front four. Variations in attacking structure will probably come from the same starting quartet, with the wingers and Eriksen able to move higher or deeper according to Olsen’s demands.
Conclusion
So much depends upon Eriksen – if he’s on top of his game, Denmark could have the player of the tournament in their ranks. If he’s closed out by powerful opposition double pivots sitting deep, Denmark will struggle to create.
Quick guide:
Coach – Morten Olsen
Formation – 4-2-1-3ish, with the option to move to either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3
Key player – Christian Eriksen
Strength – A settled starting XI, combined with a degree of flexibility in shape
Weakness – A lack of game-changers from the bench, plus question marks about the reliability of the defenders and goalkeepers when under sustained spells of pressure
Key tactical question – How much does Eriksen influence the game?
Key quote – Olsen: “Eriksen cannot carry the team by himself and we have told him that he shouldn’t try to do that.”
Betfair odds: 100.0 (99/1)
Recommended bet: Nicklas Bendtner to be Denmark’s top scorer at 3.55
Further reading: Dave Farrar’s piece on Denmark’s 1992 side in Issue One of the Blizzard is well worth paying ‘however much you want’ to read
Boilesen is not in the squad.
Nicolai Boilesen is not part of the tournament squad, is he?
Great preview, nevertheless;)
Excellent preview. Boilesen is injured and not part of the euro squad.
Oh I hadn’t seen that. Thanks chaps
Boilesen has not been picked for the Euro because of a season marked by injuries. But actually, there is still some competition for left back in the form of midfielder Silberbauer, who succesfully shut down Portugal and Ronaldo in the qualifier. Morten Olsen may use him instead of Poulsen again, if he favours a defensive approach, although Poulsen is expected to start the first match.
Also, they might not be supersubs, but Kahlenberg and Schöne provide alternatives to the front four, or rather, front three, as Bendtner has no comptetion. Kahlenberg has been reborn for Evian, after struggling in Germany, and could well replace Krohn-Dehli along the way, the latter having struggled a bit lately.
Denmark are hugely unlucky to have been drawn in this group, but I don’t think they are a great side. They rely a lot on Eriksen providing the spark for their attacks and don’t have a lot of quality elsewhere. They have an unsettled defense, with Agger the only in defender in great form right now. Their DM’s lack composure on the ball, putting more pressure on Erikson to drop deep and collect the ball (though this could be negated somewhat by Agger moving forward). Their wingers are pacy but inconsistent, while Bendtner tends to struggle against top class defenses. My worry is they don’t have a clear approach to scoring against teams that are a lot better than them, with the most probably approach trying to break at speed and create chances for Bendtner, but he can be wasteful.
I think they will finish bottom of the group, unless Erikson can manage to drag the team out of the group. His partnership with Bendtner could be key.
Excellent preview as always.
Denmark will be fortunate to grab a point, in my opinion. They do not have enough quality going forward as Eriksen, fine playmaker as he is, does not score many and Bendtner has a long record of glaring and crucial misses (at Camp Nou last season to name just one). Also, they are not that great in terms of defensive capabilities and structure, so there is no way for them to pull off “a Greece” or “a Chelsea”.
While they may hold Portugal to a draw, the overall mediocrity of the team will most likely mean obliteration by Dutch and German hands.
Who is likely to start for Denmark in goal? Will it really be Andersen?
Yes. Olsen has settled for Stephan Andersen due to match practice and good form at Evian.
That’s exciting, then. Thanks
Bonus info; it is the third youngest squad in the EURO 2012
So weird they were seeded in a lower layer than Portugal even though they beat them.
That system needs to be fixed.
If what you say about Eriksen is true, then Denmark will have a hard time, seeing Eriksen has struggled since winning the dutch championship with Ajax.
Yeah, I’m anxious to see how Eriksen will do at the EC. He’s supremely talented, but at Ajax – my home team – I find he’s still rather inconsistent (probably because of his youth); plays a blinder one match, invisible the next. Having said that, he does always turn up for the big games.
For Denmark to progress from the group he would need to give three world class performances in a row, and I’m not entirely sure he’s able to do that just yet.
I think you meant “Three of the top TEN sides in the world”, as Portugal dropped from five to ten this week!
However, I don’t think the task for Denmark gets any easier by that…
Ah, when I published it, that wasn’t the case. But yeah
Surely it should be Four of the top ten sides in the world, what with Denmark being 9th aswell.
So it’s Portugal that has the most difficult task. Wow, what a group. 3rd, 4th, 9th and 10th in the world. I don’t think it can get any better!
I have no idea why people are hyping Denmark so much…I literrally just saw a poll with Denmark being the 4th choice to win the tournament next to Spain, Germany and Holland. I mean they do have an amazing CB combination and even tho Eriksen is quite skilled, Bendtner is their starting striker and their main wing threat is a 34 year old whose only skill is the run like a gazelle. Any Euro coaches want to know the secret to defeating Denmark? Stick your holding midfielder on Eriksen, game over.
easier said than done… the problem is that if you are looking to play a possession based game, and your holding midfielder is an important part of your build up play, your own play will suffer if you look to man mark. The Germany vs. Argentina World Cup Final is a good example of this. W. Germany man marked Maradona, who did not have a good game, but found their ability to build attacks themselves compromised.
Germany and Portugal both rely on defensive holding midfielders to build play. I admit that Holland could find this strategy effective though.
The only place on a international site where you can get an accurate preview of the danish team. BBCs preview is BS. Your analyses is even better than the ones you read in danish papers.
And I still remember your accurate analyses of the danish team and it’s tactical performance under the world cup. Thumps up.
Although I find Kvists presence just as important as Eriksens. With Kvist on the team we can play faster and attack the opponent higher up the pitch. (He was key in FC Copenhagens success in Champions League)
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