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In a dull meeting in Copenhagen tonight, Denmark drew 0-0 with England. The game saw largely lacklustre performances from both sides, who both now sit behind Belgium in League A Group 2 of the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League.
Chances were few and far between throughout the game, with both sides managing just two shots on target. Overall, the it felt almost like a pre-season friendly rather than a competitive match, which was disappointing for anyone viewing it.
Here are five talking points from Denmark’s 0-0 draw with England.
#1 Southgate’s selection and tactics must be brought into question
Eyebrows were raised when England’s team was announced tonight, as boss Gareth Southgate switched from his favoured 4-3-3 formation into a 3-4-3, a twist on the 3-5-2 system used in the 2018 World Cup.
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To say the switch didn’t pay off would largely be an understatement. It’s fair to say that to have a ‘Plan B’ wouldn’t be a bad thing for England, but most fans would’ve agreed that to start with both Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips in central midfield would leave the Three Lions short of creativity.
This issue may not have been so obvious if England had been able to call upon a recognised left-sided player – either a winger or wing-back – but that wasn’t the case. The right-footed Kieran Trippier again played in the right-wing-back role ahead of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has at least played in that spot for Arsenal.
It came as no surprise that England failed to create a single meaningful chance in the first half and largely stuttered in the second too, until Mason Mount and Jack Grealish were introduced late on.
To play such a defensive side with so little creativity in a game like this was alarming to say the least. Southgate has banked tons of goodwill over his four years in charge of England, but it’s hard to imagine that fans could’ve been happy with his choices tonight.
#2 England’s latest debutants didn’t look out of place
Tonight’s game was the first time since 1962 that England had used four uncapped players in a competitive game and thankfully for boss Gareth Southgate, three of them appeared to be at home on this stage.
Wolves’ Conor Coady was perhaps England’s most impressive defender, not putting a foot wrong while his passing range also looked excellent in the first-half. On numerous occasions, he was able to find Trent Alexander-Arnold or Jadon Sancho with some beautiful long passes.
Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips struggled at times, but this appeared to be largely due to playing an unfamiliar role in a system that was somewhat questionable. However, ‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’ still won five tackles – the most of any player on the pitch – and managed to keep an 81% pass success rate. He certainly didn’t look out of place on the senior international stage.
Prior to kick-off, fans had been clamouring to see Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish handed a chance for England. While he only got around 15 minutes to make an impact, he still provided the fans with one of the game’s only exciting moments by dribbling into the box before he was finally stopped by the Danish defence late on.
Of course, it’d be unfair to judge Ainsley Maitland-Niles on his three minutes on the pitch, but overall his versatility should provide him with plenty of opportunities with England in the future.
Southgate’s squad might not have the depth of rivals such as France or Belgium, but the England boss definitely has plenty of talent to call upon and tonight was an example of this.
#3 Neither side looked fully fit
Both England and Denmark looked rusty during their games on Saturday against Iceland and Belgium respectively, and that didn’t change tonight. Overall the quality of this game was poor and it was very telling that both teams were filled with players who didn’t appear to be fully match-sharp.
While some of the Nations League games we’ve seen over the past week have been excellent to watch – Spain’s 1-1 draw with Germany for instance – the various depleted squads and then a game of this kind of quality brings into question whether UEFA should’ve reconsidered their scheduling a little.
In a normal season, the players who took part in tonight’s game would’ve had probably four or five games under their belt already to get up to speed.
The COVID-19 pandemic obviously made that impossible this time around. However, could UEFA not have scheduled three games in both the October and November international breaks to complete the Nations League’s group stages, instead of forcing rusty players into action like this? It’s food for thought.
#4 Why has Southgate ignored Saka?
The most curious talking point from England’s matches against Iceland and Denmark has to be the issue of the left side of the pitch. England fans were shocked when Gareth Southgate named a squad without a recognised left-back, and Kieran Trippier’s makeshift performance in the spot on Saturday didn’t help matters at all.
Trippier is a hardened international veteran but to put it simply, he isn’t a left-sided player. Tonight saw Southgate use him in a more attacking role on the left side, but yet again the Atletico Madrid man failed to deliver the goods. A number of England attacks were slowed down by Trippier needing to cut inside onto his right foot rather than use his left.
Is that Trippier’s fault? Of course not, but it does beg the question as to where Southgate’s mind was in terms of this role. In his post-game interview, he mentioned that Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw were unavailable while Danny Rose hasn’t played many games recently, but what of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka?
Southgate has suggested that he sees Saka – who is with England’s U21 squad – as more of an attacking player, but the fact is that the 19-year old played as a left-back or left wing-back on numerous occasions during the 2019-20 campaign and looked excellent, too.
Based on this – as well as his view that Jack Grealish is more of a forward than a midfielder – there could be an argument to suggest Southgate has too narrow a view of some of his more untested players right now.
#5 Denmark had the chances to beat England
While the statistics show that both teams had just two shots on target tonight – and Harry Kane came the closest to finding a winner when his shot in added time was cleared off the line – the truth is that Denmark had the better chances.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side looked rusty and while they pressed England well, they struggled to create chances. However, Kasper Dolberg probably should’ve scored in the first half, following some excellent work from Christian Eriksen. The fact that he fired his shot directly at England 'keeper Jordan Pickford must've been highly disappointing from a Danish point of view.
Equally, Eriksen himself had a great chance to seal the three points in the second half – only to fire his shot miles over the bar from close range. The Inter Milan midfielder may have been distracted by an attempted tackle from Joe Gomez, but his attempted finish was still poor.
Overall, Hjulmand’s side should probably look at this as a missed opportunity to defeat a severely under-par and experimental England side. Their chances of making the UEFA Nations League finals next summer now look highly slim.
