Denmark - Euro 2021 Discussion

[WeePat]

There was no dedicated thread for Denmark, and I thought it would cool to have one to follow and discuss their progress, considering a lot of people will be looking out for them, paying attention to their upcoming games after what happened in the opening game.

Denmark Euro 2020 squad

• GK: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)
• GK: Jonas Lossl (Midtjylland)
• GK: Frederik Ronnow (Schalke)
• DF: Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton)
• DF: Simon Kjær (AC Milan)
• DF: Daniel Wass (Valencia)
• DF: Joakim Mæhle (Atalanta)
• DF: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
• DF: Nicolai Boilesen (Copenhagen)
• DF: Joachim Andersen (Fulham)
• DF: Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese)
• DF: Mathias Jørgensen (Copenhagen)
• MF: Thomas Delaney (Borussia Dortmund)
• MF: Christian Eriksen (Internazionale)
• MF: Mathias Jensen (Brentford)
• MF: Anders Christiansen (Malmö)
• MF: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur)
• MF: Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria)
• MF: Christian Norgaard (Brentford)
• MF: Robert Skov (Hoffenheim)
• FW: Martin Braithwaite (Barcelona)
• FW: Jonas Wind (Copenhagen)
• FW: Andreas Cornelius (Parma)
• FW: Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig)
• FW: Andreas Skov Olsen (Bologna)
• FW: Kasper Dolberg (Nice)

Denmark's national anthem in Parken is sometimes special to watch.

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The opening line in the anthem is 'der et yndigt land' which translates to 'there is a beautiful nation' which I think has taken extra special meaning in Denmark now.

More related information after the Finland game:

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Upcoming games;

17 June vs Belgium [5pm]
21 June vs Russia [8pm]

 

[WeePat]

 

[TheReligion]

I really feel if the Denmark team and staff didn't feel they could play they should have stood firm and said so. No point just going along with it then complaining afterwards.

Irrespective of what FIFA said they should have just said no. The world would have been behind their decision so not sure what concerned them.

 

[WeePat]

I really feel if the Denmark team and staff didn't feel they could play they should have stood firm and said so. No point just going along with it then complaining afterwards.

Irrespective of what FIFA said they should have just said no. The world would have been behind their decision so not sure what concerned them.

They were in distress. Its a bit harsh to question decisions made in the heat of the moment.

I read some quotes from Peter Schmeichel saying that Denmark did ask the UEFA officials about what other options there were and the answer to that essentially was, unfortunately finish the game now or the following day at noon or forfeit the game with a 3-0 loss.

 

[TheReligion]

They were in distress. Its a bit harsh to question decisions made in the heat of the moment.

I read some quotes from Peter Schmeichel saying that Denmark did ask the UEFA officials about what other options there were and the answer to that essentially was, unfortunately finish the game now or the following day at noon or forfeit the game with a 3-0 loss.

Surely best to have just finished the game the following day?

 

[WeePat]

Surely best to have just finished the game the following day?

Possibly, but noon the following day would only have been about 18 hours later, which is an incredibly short time to mentally recuperate. It felt, to me, like that they had a choice between two bad options or be charged with a 3-0 loss.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Possibly, but noon the following day would only have been about 18 hours later, which is an incredibly short time to mentally recuperate. It felt, to me, like that they had a choice between two bad options or be charged with a 3-0 loss.

That’s what is sounds like to me. Yes UEFA gave them 2 options. But neither took account of the situation, were compassionate and had the players interests first and foremost.

 

[TheReligion]

Possibly, but noon the following day would only have been about 18 hours later, which is an incredibly short time to mentally recuperate. It felt, to me, like that they had a choice between two bad options or be charged with a 3-0 loss.

They were never going to be given a 0-3 loss though. The world wouldn't have allowed it. Would have been uproar.

I just feel they should have made a better decision (the staff and officials).

 

[WeePat]

They were never going to be given a 0-3 loss though. The world wouldn't have allowed it. Would have been uproar.

I just feel they should have made a better decision (the staff and officials).

Keep in mind they're making that decision in the heat of a highly stressful and traumatic situation. Whether outside pressure would have shamed UEFA into properly rescheduling the game is unknown, but in the moment, they were given two terrible options and chose one.

 

[sullydnl]

In such extreme circumstances it should be a given that the game doesn't resume that day, not even a decision the players should have to make.

Either allow enough space in the fixture list for games to be scheduled several days later, allow the teams involved to end the game as a draw or allow the officials to end the game as a draw.

In this situation they at least knew Eriksen was okay. What would have happened if they didn't? If he was fighting for his life in intensive care I'm sure they'd have found away around making the game go ahead or forcing a forfeit on Denmark.

 

[Berbaclass]

I really feel if the Denmark team and staff didn't feel they could play they should have stood firm and said so. No point just going along with it then complaining afterwards.

Irrespective of what FIFA said they should have just said no. The world would have been behind their decision so not sure what concerned them.

I agree. They had all the power.

 

[SmallCaine]

In such extreme circumstances it should be a given that the game doesn't resume that day, not even a decision the players should have to make.

Either allow enough space in the fixture list for games to be scheduled several days later, allow the teams involved to end the game as a draw or allow the officials to end the game as a draw.

In this situation they at least knew Eriksen was okay. What would have happened if they didn't? If he was fighting for his life in intensive care I'm sure they'd have found away around making the game go ahead or forcing a forfeit on Denmark.

If eriksen was fighting for his life isn't it most likely Denmark would have suspended their participation in euros.

Its easy to blame it on heartless uefe for not taking players mental health into the account but practically the 2 options were the only choices even uefa had. Its easy to say lets reschedule but they both have to play other Group B teams on 16th and 17th with last group game on 21st, a rescheduled game on 19th might be fine for Denmark who play all their games at home, but Finland will have to travel to Russia for the next game and then you expect them to be back in Denmark for the rescheduled game and then they are expected go back to Russia again for the final game? they might not agree to that privately. Even rescheduling all games to make it fair is kind of impossible, as group B teams have to play their R16 games on 26th and 27th so moving games to after 21st screws every team in the group as these games will be held in completely different countries to ones they are playing in right now. I don't think there is a solution that doesn't screw someone over in this case.

 

[Lay]

I picked them as my dark horse. Unfortunately I think with everything that happened. I think they’ll be home early

 

[Jev]

I really feel if the Denmark team and staff didn't feel they could play they should have stood firm and said so. No point just going along with it then complaining afterwards.

Irrespective of what FIFA said they should have just said no. The world would have been behind their decision so not sure what concerned them.

Ignorant point of view. The players were traumatized. They should never have been asked to make a decision they were in no mental state to make after literally just watching their friend and teammate die (thankfully for just a few moments). Have some empathy for Christ's sake.

 

[Berbaclass]

Ignorant point of view. The players were traumatized. They should never have been asked to make a decision they were in no mental state to make after literally just watching their friend and teammate die. Have some empathy for Christ's sake.

Have I missed something?

 

[Jev]

Have I missed something?

He was gone, and then he came back. Will edit the post to make sure no one misunderstands.

 

[TheReligion]

Ignorant point of view. The players were traumatized. They should never have been asked to make a decision they were in no mental state to make after literally just watching their friend and teammate die (thankfully for just a few moments). Have some empathy for Christ's sake.

What you on about? Try reading what I put. The players shouldn't have been solely making any decisions, the staff/Danish association should have been on their behalf and of course taking their views into consideration.

If they weren't fit to play they shouldn't have played it. Simple as that.

 

[Giggs' right foot]

What you on about? Try reading what I put. The players shouldn't have been solely making any decisions, the staff/Danish association should have been on their behalf and of course taking their views into consideration.

If they weren't fit to play they shouldn't have played it. Simple as that.

The staff and the danish association are people too. They too just witnessed a dear friend die on the pitch in a never before seen scenario at the Euros.

You are way too black and white. The players themselves might not even have known wether or not they were ready - what were the board/staff supposed to do? Overrule the players?

In the end, the lads gave it a go because of one single thing: UEFA‘s two options were a slap to the face or a kick to the shin. Pick one and they did because they felt they had to - the reason they felt that, is undoubtedly because that’s how it was put forward by UEFA.

 

[TheReligion]

The staff and the danish association are people too. They too just witnessed a dear friend die on the pitch in a never before seen scenario at the Euros.

You are way too black and white. The players themselves might not even have known wether or not they were ready - what were the board/staff supposed to do? Overrule the players?

In the end, the lads gave it a go because of one single thing: UEFA‘s two options were a slap to the face or a kick to the shin. Pick one and they did because they felt they had to - the reason they felt that, is undoubtedly because that’s how it was put forward by UEFA.

If there was any doubt they should have said no and waited. Maybe I am black and white but you need strong characters in these situations, like Simon Kjaer was on the pitch at the time. The Danish FA should have done a better job at protecting their players and if any doubts existed, which it seems there was, I have no idea why they didn't delay it and regroup.

 

[Giggs' right foot]

If there was any doubt they should have said no and waited. Maybe I am black and white but you need strong characters in these situations, like Simon Kjaer was on the pitch at the time. The Danish FA should have done a better job at protecting their players and if any doubts existed, which it seems there was, I have no idea why they didn't delay it and regroup.

They didn’t delay it simply because they knew none would be able to get any sleep by 12:00 next day. The Danish FA, board and players 100% chose to go out and play because of this reality.

In hindsight - the best option would’ve been to cancel it for the day, give the players a free ticket to see their close family while the board and the FA put pressure in the media to UEFA all night and morning. The support would’ve been too monumental for UEFA to ignore - probably. But… hindsight is a hammer with no head, a saw with no teeth, a screwdriver with no handle. It’s of no use. And putting myself into the shoes of the higher hierarchies in the Danish FA , I totally get how difficult a situation they were put in. Had they made a decision and trumped the players - some would’ve still pointed fingers, saying “how classless can you be - ignoring the player’s wishes”.

 

[Jev]

If there was any doubt they should have said no and waited. Maybe I am black and white but you need strong characters in these situations, like Simon Kjaer was on the pitch at the time. The Danish FA should have done a better job at protecting their players and if any doubts existed, which it seems there was, I have no idea why they didn't delay it and regroup.

They were only given one alternative which at the time seemed less attractive than just getting the thing out of the way, which was to get up and play again early in the next day. If UEFA had any decency, they would have taken the decision out of the players' hands and said: No way are you guys playing tonight or tomorrow morning, go home, get some rest, talk to your friends and families and we'll figure it out.

 

[Mike Smalling]

Just putting aside all the talk about UEFA and the decision to finish the game for one moment, I couldn't be prouder of how the team reacted and conducted themselves during such a difficult situation. It's really evident that they are a great group of guys and a very tight-knit team. I hope they are able put the episode behind them, and find some enjoyment in the last two games. It will probably be difficult to enter Parken again, but they will have the backing of 25,000 fans at home, which should give them a great boost. Playing the Euros at home is still a unique experience for all of them.

We are in a difficult spot in terms of making it through to the knock-out stages, but it certainly isn't impossible. I guess we have to hope that Finland either win or get a draw against Russia today, which would enable us to get 3rd by beating Russia in the final game. Assuming we are not able to beat Belgium, that would leave us with 3-4 points - hopefully enough for one of the 3rd place spots.

In any case, no matter what happens on the pitch in the last two games, the team has already represented Denmark brilliantly, so I'm not too bothered about the results.

 

[WeePat]

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[AndyMUFC]

Hope they can beat Russia and get through.

 

[bosnian_red]

Home game against Russia to come. Win and they should be through as long as Belgium beats Finland as they should.

 

[Jev]

Yeah, we've been playing brilliantly and are due some luck against Russia. Still confident we'll get through, everything else would be a robbery.

 

[Ibi Dreams]

I think everyone who isn't Russian or Finnish wants them to get through. They played a good game against Belgium, undone by a couple of world class moments from De Bruyne

 

[Wayne's World]

Home game against Russia to come. Win and they should be through as long as Belgium beats Finland as they should.

I thought the game was in Russia? Oh If that's the case think If Denmark perform the way they did today they can get a really good win over Russia and possibly qualify, even in 3rd place

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

Where is Ramsus Falk? He should definitely be in the squad!

 

[bosnian_red]

I thought the game was in Russia? Oh If that's the case think If Denmark perform the way they did today they can get a really good win over Russia and possibly qualify, even in 3rd place

I'd guess they still finish 2nd tbh

 

[Mike Smalling]

If we put in that type of performance against Russia, we should beat them. It will be a different game, since they only need a point, but we have more quality.

Still confident we will go through. It’s quite weird being that optimistic and pleased with the team after two defeats, but we have done well so far under the circumstances.

 

[V.O.]

Their frontline is letting them down a bit, it's all piss and Wind.

 

[NoneBmStore]

Where is Ramsus Falk? He should definitely be in the squad!

Yeah, no chance Rasmus Falk even gets on the bench.

 

[RoyH1]

It was a real roller coaster of emotions yesterday in Parken. The team played so well in the first half but looked a bit gassed in the second. And unfortunately Denmark has no one in the team that is on the level of Kevin de Bruyne. What a fantastic player.

Denmark is really missing a top striker (as are many teams in the tournament imo). Braithwaithe is a quality footballer, but a goalscorer he ain't. And I don't understand why Hjulmand always goes with Cornelius when he has Dolberg in the squad. Yes, Cornelius is excellent in the air, but against those huge Belgian defenders and Courtois it didn't seem much of a threat. They were a lot more bothered when players ran at them with the ball, which is really not Cornelius' strong point.

 

[Ralaks]

Yeah I was thinking the same yesterday evening - we could be a proper force if we just had decent poacher/finisher. Dolberg hasn't really filled me with confidence that he can take that role yet. Faghir did very well against Germany in the U21 game - the goal he scored, is exactly the kind of player we need, but he is still quite young. 6 goals in 30 isn't exactly prolific, but still only 17 years and plays for a shit team. Could do with a move to a successful talent building team like Ajax.

 

[RoyH1]

Yeah I was thinking the same yesterday evening - we could be a proper force if we just had decent poacher/finisher. Dolberg hasn't really filled me with confidence that he can take that role yet. Faghir did very well against Germany in the U21 game - the goal he scored, is exactly the kind of player we need, but he is still quite young. 6 goals in 30 isn't exactly prolific, but still only 17 years and plays for a shit team. Could do with a move to a successful talent building team like Ajax.

Yeah, he's definitely the future if he keeps developing. Like you said, he needs to go to a club that will develop him and help him take that extra step. If not Ajax, then maybe a Bundesliga club a la Mainz or RB Leipzig.

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

Yeah, no chance Rasmus Falk even gets on the bench.

Really? Not even has a creative back up force? Was pretty amazing against us in the Europa last season

 

[Devil81]

Does anyone know why they changed their home kit last night to a full red kit, badge, kit make, everything was fully red.

Yet the game on Saturday they had their traditional white sleeves and white shorts.

 

[WeePat]

Yeah I was thinking the same yesterday evening - we could be a proper force if we just had decent poacher/finisher. Dolberg hasn't really filled me with confidence that he can take that role yet. Faghir did very well against Germany in the U21 game - the goal he scored, is exactly the kind of player we need, but he is still quite young. 6 goals in 30 isn't exactly prolific, but still only 17 years and plays for a shit team. Could do with a move to a successful talent building team like Ajax.

I'm sure some Dutch or German team will snap him in no time, if he continues to impress.

 

[Ralaks]

Does anyone know why they changed their home kit last night to a full red kit, badge, kit make, everything was fully red.

Yet the game on Saturday they had their traditional white sleeves and white shorts.

I don't remember anything said, but could imagine it is as simple as color clash. The red/white Danish shirt clashes both in Red with Belgium home, and maybe sufficiently in white with Belgium away, to warrant a change to fully red.