EURO 2024 Team Guide - Group C - Denmark
Join Abdullah Mamaniyat as he analyses just how great the Danes will be this time around. With Eriksen no longer guaranteed a start, will they have enough creativity without him on the pitch?
Country:
Denmark
FIFA World Ranking:
21
Qualification Record:
1st Place
W7, D1, L2
Goals For – 19
Goals Against - 10
Group:
Group C
Highest Ever Euros Finish:
Winners (1992)
Previous Euros Appearances:
9 (1964, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2020)
Top International Goal Scorer (in Squad):
Christian Eriksen (40)
Squad:
Preliminary Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Anderlecht), Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin), Mads Hermansen (Leicester City).
Defenders: Andreas Christensen (Barcelona), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City), Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray), Alexander Bah (SL Benfica), Joakim Maehle (VfL Wolfsburg), Rasmus Nissen Kristensen (AS Roma), Victor Kristiansen (Bologna).
Midfielders: Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Thomas Delaney (Anderlecht), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting Lisbon), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur), Christian Norgaard (Brentford), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Burnley), Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge).
Forwards: Anders Dreyer (Anderlecht), Kasper Dolberg (Anderlecht), Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United), Jonas Wind (VfL Wolfsburg), Yusuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig).
The Gaffer:
Kasper Hjulmand (Appointed: 2020)
Gaffer Bio:
Kasper Hjulmand’s playing career lasted around 11 years, playing as a right-back predominantly in Denmark. His only venture outside of his home country was in USA with North Florida Ospreys when he studied a Sports Management degree in Jacksonville for a short while.
He was forced to retire at the age of 26 due to a knee injury and began his coaching career in 1998 when he managed through the ranks at Lyngby, before finally becoming head coach in 2006. In his first season, he won the league title in Denmark’s second division before moving to Nordsjaelland in 2011 as an assistant coach. Hjulmand was handed the keys as head coach in 2011 where he led the team to their first ever Danish title and featured in the UEFA Champions League in a group with Chelsea and Juventus the following season.
A spell at German club Mainz was sandwiched in between another later spell at Nordsjaelland in 2016 before being appointed as Denmark national team manager in 2020. He was given the chance to manage the team at a major tournament due to Euro 2020 being postponed by one year because of COVID-19, and rallied his troops to an impressive third place position in a tournament that Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in.
Who Could Do with Him?
After the high of finishing 4th in the Bundesliga last season, Union Berlin crashed down hard this time around. The side, also known as Die Eisernen (The Iron Ones) really had to show what they were made of as they limped to a 15th place finish in the Bundelsiga – separated with VfL Bochum only by goal difference, thus avoiding the relegation play-offs.
Strutting his versatility in formations, coupled with emphasis on wingbacks joining the attack, it may have been an ideal fit in familiar Bundesliga territory for Hjulmand had it not been a tournament year for the Danes.
Formation / Style of Play:
4-3-3 (attacking) / 5-3-2
Kasper Hjulmand has been incredibly flexible in his setup throughout the qualifiers, often adapting his formation to the opposition.
Expect the Danes to continue that theme and tinker their formation based on the difficulty of the opposition. With a wealth of quality at the centre-back position, a back 3 is quite likely if captain Simon Kjaer is fit and ready to go. The midfield trio will look to be as compact as possible with much importance on wing-backs under the Hjulmand system.
Strengths:
Denmark will be hoping to carry their team spirit from Euro 2020 into this tournament. With a new frontman leading the next generation of Danes, the underdog story can be re-written if the stars align once more.
Rasmus Hojlund is capable of being a much finer version of a target man than recent Denmark forwards, even at such a young age.
The defence remains largely unnamed from the Euro 2020 squad, so there is a wealth of experience at the back to rely upon.
Weaknesses:
Creativity. With Christian Eriksen being much of a focal point for Denmark for so long, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where that final ball could come from in a tournament that the Manchester United midfielder will not be starting every game in. This does present a weakness for Hjulmand’s team especially when a certain Celtic midfielder was overlooked for this squad…
Since September 2023, Denmark have not scored many goals in games – with many of their victories coming in narrow leads. If the opposition find themselves in with a 2-goal lead, it could be difficult circumstances for the 1992 winners to come back from.
Player to Watch:
Rasmus Hojlund –
The Man United striker took on the burden of being the Red Devil’s primary source of goals this season, despite being just 21 years-old. It was a difficult campaign for Erik Ten Hag’s side, but Hojlund came away with the FA Cup trophy and an impressive 16 goals in all competitions, including 5 goals in his maiden Champions League campaign.
Hojlund’s track record of 7 goals in a competitive group during European 2024 Qualifiers speaks for itself. Only Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane scored more.
One for the Future:
Andreas Skov Olsen –
The 24-year-old plays as a right sided winger for Club Brugge and enjoyed a successful season as he helped the team win their 19th Belgian league title after a dramatic playoff.
Skov Olsen played 50 games for the club, scoring 26 goals, and providing 8 assists across 4 competitions - including the UEFA Conference League where they came up short against eventual finalists Fiorentina.
The Brugge winger was given his first senior cap for Denmark by Kasper Hjulmand in 2020 as a 20-year-old and has since gone on to feature 29 times for the Danes. Skov Olsen fits the liking of Hjulmand favouring wrong footed wingers, and could have a free run as the starting right winger for the team in a 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3 setup. This tournament could give him the platform to become a recognisable name outside of Denmark and Belgian football.
Unlucky to Miss Out:
Matt O’Riley –
The Celtic midfielder is massively unfortunate to not make the cut for Denmark, despite only having two caps to his name. O’Riley scored 19 goals and provided 18 assists in 49 games, as he helped Celtic en route to a domestic treble under Brendan Rodgers.
A big move seems likely this summer, with talks of a transfer to Atletico Madrid earlier in the season cropping up. Whilst the in-form midfielder misses this tournament, it should certainly be the last one as well. Upon Hjulmand’s squad announcement on 30 May, fans were outraged as O’Riley missed out at the expense of veterans Christian Eriksen and Mikkel Damsgaard, who both struggled in the Premier League during the season.
O’Riley will be a big miss as a presence in Denmark’s midfield.
Mads Roerslev is also unlucky to miss out after an impressive breakthrough season with Brentford.
Likely Line Up:
Schmeichel; Andersen, Kjaer, Christensen, Maehle; Hojbjerg, Delaney; Skov Olsen, Eriksen, Poulsen; Hojlund.
Fixtures:
Matchday 1 – Slovenia vs Denmark – 16th June
Matchday 2 – Denmark vs England – 20th June
Matchday 3 – Denmark vs Serbia – 25th June
Verdict:
Denmark were everyone’s second team at Euro 2020, as the country galvanised themselves to a surprise semi-final finish in the same tournament that Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in. The Manchester United midfielder is back in the fold, and albeit with some newer faces 3 years on, the team will look to replicate that fairytale run with an added layer of unity that captivated football hearts in 2021.
The Danes have a fine balance of youth, experience, and vibrancy in this squad. All eyes will be on the encounter against England, which will be a replay of the semi-final loss in 2021.
However, on either side of that game, Denmark should be confident of securing positive results against Slovenia and Serbia if they are on their A game. Progress into the knockout stages in back-to-back attempts would be a mighty feat.
Abdullah Mamaniyat (@mxmnyt)