Denmark 0-0 England: 5 talking points | UEFA Nations League 2020-21

#3 Neither side looked fully fit

Both Denmark and England looked rusty in tonight's game

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?

Kieran Trippier struggled to make an impact on England's left side, leaving some fans to ask why Bukayo Saka was not picked

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

Christian Eriksen was guilty of missing a big chance for Denmark in the second half

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.