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| DENMARK ARE YOU STILL HAVING FUN? or THE CURRENT FORM OF DENMARK |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Match Type | |
| 26.04.2000 | Sweden | 0-1 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly | |
| 29.03.2000 | Portugal | 1-2 | Leiria, Portugal | Friendly | |
| 17.11.1999 | Israel | 3-0 | Copenhagen, Denmark | ECQ (Playoff) | |
| 13.11.1999 | Israel | 5-0 | Tel Aviv, Israel | ECQ (Playoff) | |
| 10.10.1999 | Iran | 0-0 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly | |
| 08.09.1999 | Italy | 3-2 | Napoli, Italy | ECQ | |
| 04.09.1999 | Switzerland | 2-1 | Copenhagen, Denmark | ECQ | |
| 18.08.1999 | Holland | 0-0 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly | |
| 09.06.1999 | Wales | 2-0 | Liverpool, England | ECQ | |
| 05.06.1999 | Belarussia | 1-0 | Copenhagen, Denmark | ECQ | |
| ECQ =
European Championship Qualification Denmark are currently going through the Down part of an up-and-down period, with the hope being that Up will start with the European Championships. The last two friendlies have been against Sweden and Portugal, both lost with one goal. In Leiria, Portugal, Denmark played 20 minutes of the best attacking soccer you are ever likely to see. Unfortunately, that was followed by 70 minutes of rubbish that saw Portugal not only equalize Jon Dahl Tomassons early goal, but score the winner after Figo walked straight through Thomas Helveg and Jes Hoegh and lifted the ball over Peter Schmeichel. The match against Sweden was another story entirely. It was explained as an experiment, playing several people out of position. It was an experiment that clearly failed. While only losing 0-1, Denmark played some of the worst football yet seen. Even Bo Johansson, the Danish coach, admitted that the only positive to come out of the match against Sweden was that Denmark had played 20 quality minutes in the match against Portugal. These matches, though, came 4 months after the EC-Qualification playoff that saw Denmark trounce Israel 8-0 over two legs, winning 5-0 in Tel Aviv and 3-0 in Copenhagen, with the same formation and mostly the same squad. So, 5-0 and 3-0 wins, followed by 1-2 and 0-1 losses. Are Denmark too unstable to sustain the level of play showed in Israel throughout the European Championships? Are the friendly matches an indication of a down period that will extend far into the European Championships? Do Denmark merely suck? Well, lets look back on the results leading up to the 98 World Cup. |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Competition |
| 05.06.1998 | Cameroon | 1-2 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly |
| 28.05.1998 | Sweden | 0-3 | Malmö, Sweden | Friendly |
| 22.04.1998 | Norway | 0-2 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly |
| 25.03.1998 | Scotland | 1-0 | Glasgow, Scotland | Friendly |
| Four
games, three losses, one win, only 2 goals scored, 7
goals scored against them. Yet Denmark still made it to the quarter-finals, beating Nigeria 4-1 along the way and only narrowly going out 2-3 to Brazil. While the two friendlies against Portugal and Sweden were both losses with little redeeming qualities shown, writing off Denmark because of that could prove to be a mistake. TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DIE or PAST HISTORY AGAINST GROUP OPPONENTS |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Competition |
| 24.06.1998 | France | 1-2 | Lyon, France | World Cup |
| 09.11.1996 | France | 1-0 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly |
| 17.06.1992 | France | 2-1 | Malmö, Sweden | Euro Ch'ship |
| 12.06.1984 | France | 0-1 | Paris, France | Euro Ch'ship |
| 07.09.1983 | France | 3-1 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly |
| The last
five matches against France seems to point towards one
thing. While Denmark have lost 1-2 and 0-1 to them, both losses came in France. Outside of France, Denmark won 3-1, 2-1 and 1-0. With Denmark being a definite underdog coming in to a match against the reigning World champions, the question here seems not so much to be "Can Denmark win?" but "Can France win outside their home country?", and Denmark would have it no other way, thriving on the same underdog role they played when they beat France 2-1 in the 92 European Championships. |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Competition |
| 18.08.1999 | Holland | 0-0 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly |
| 22.06.1992 | Holland | 2-2 | Göteborg, Sweden | Euro Ch'ship |
| 06.09.1989 | Holland | 2-2 | Amsterdam, Holland | Friendly |
| 14.03.1984 | Holland | 0-6 | Amsterdam, Holland | Friendly |
| 04.10.1967 | Holland | 3-2 | Copenhagen, Denmark | EC-Qualification |
| Five
matches, 3 draws, one win each. Last time the two met, a
friendly in Copenhagen, it was an entertaing back-and-forth match with both sides being cheated out of a penalty and playing very much like equals. In Euro 2000, Holland will have the added benefit of a rapid home crowd, making this another uphill struggle for Denmark, even though Jesper Groenkjaer of Ajax would love to put one over the Dutch side on "his" pitch, Amsterdam Arena. |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Competition |
| 19.08.1998 | Czech Republic | 0-1 | Prag, Czech Republic | Friendly |
| One
match, one loss. Not much to go by here. Take
Czechoslovakia, though, and... |
| Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Competition |
| 01.06.1988 | Czechoslovakia | 0-1 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Friendly |
| 03.06.1987 | Czechoslovakia | 1-1 | Copenhagen, Denmark | ECQ |
| 12.11.1986 | Czechoslovakia | 0-0 | Bratislava, Czechoslo | ECQ |
| 16.05.1984 | Czechoslovakia | 0-1 | Prag, Czechoslovakia | Friendly |
| ECQ =
European Championship Qualification Adding this to the one Czech match and it's 5 matches, 3 losses and 2 ties. Even with that record, Denmark v. Czech Republic still looks to be the most even match Denmark has in Group D. ONTO US A STAR IS BORN or THREE DANISH PROFILES Jan Heintze Born: August 17th, 1963 Position: Left back Currently playing for: PSV Eindhoven (Holland) This hard working left back, who will turn 37 in August, plays with the pace and stamina of a 23 year old. Heintze is both the oldest player on the Danish team and the one it will be hardest to replace, should he ever choose to retire. Having played in both the Dutch Erstedivision (twice with PSV Eindhoven) and the German Bundesliga (with Uerdingen and Leverkusen), Heintze brings an air of stability to the left hand side, both with his clean tackling (only 2 yellow cards in 61 games for Denmark) and head for the game, but also with his many runs up the left flank. Think of him as a Roberto Carlos without the goal scoring touch, but with the ability to defend and the common sense to not try bicycle kicks in his own area. Martin Joergensen Born: October 6th, 1975 Position: Right midfield Currently playing for: Udinese (Italy) Martin Joergensen, who got his international breakthrough in the '98 World Cup, is an attack-minded midfielder, who is versatile enough to play both right and left midfield, as well as in attack. Playing with the two Laudrup brothers in the '98 World Cup got him the nickname of "Mini-Laudrup", but with both Laudrups now retired from international competition, Denmarks offensive play relies on a Martin Joergensen in top form. Starting in Danish OB Odense, it did not take long for Joergensen to turn some heads and be brought to Udinese, where former OB Odense player Thomas Helveg was playing at the time. In these past couple of seasons, Joergensen has earned himself a first team spot, both in Udinese and for Denmark. His dribbling skills and pace make him a dangerous threat to any team, but he some times has a tendency to hold on to a ball for too long. An on-form Joergensen could prove a nasty surprise to many a team in Euro 2000. Jon Dahl Tomasson Born: August 29th, 1976 Position: Supporting attacker Currently playing for: Feyenoord (Holland) This 1996 Dutch Eresdivision Talent Of The Year has finally made a real impact on the Danish national team. After starting in second division Danish club Koege, he was picked up by Heerenveen at the age of only 18. Two seasons after joining Heerenveen and with his contract soon expiring, Jon Dahl was the most sought after Danish free agent that year. It finally fell for Newcastle to get the talents signature and soon after Jon Dahl was on the national team for the first time. Both bombed. Arriving at Newcastle just as Alan Shearer suffered a long-term injury, Jon Dahl was thrown into the unfamiliar position of target man and fared poorly. His lack of confidence carried over to his international matches, where he played twice, scored no goals and had some miserable misses, including one missed from only a couple of inches in front of the goal. Things were not looking too good for the player once dubbed the "Attacking future of Denmark". In the summer of 1998, though, everything changed. Jon Dahl moved back to Holland, this time to Feyenoord, with which he won the Eresdivision and played well enough to warrant a comeback to the national team. After a slightly rocky start, Tomasson found his groove, playing just behind Ebbe Sand, and scored 7 goals in the last 5 EC-Qualification matches. Alongside Schalke 04's Ebbe Sand, Jon Dahl Tomasson is who Denmark look at to bang them in this summer. REMIND ME AGAIN HOW THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED ONES MOVE or STYLE OF PLAY A Denmark with everything working for it plays a very attack minded pressing game. The two central midfielders do a lot of running, the two wings are always poised to run for or with the ball and the defense is standing very high on the pitch, pressuring the opposing teams attackers. The attack is of one center forward situated high on the pitch but with freedom to run where he wants, and one situated lower on the pitch, midways between the attacker and the midfield, who is free to make forward runs into the box. The high positioning of the defense and the pressing style used, makes counter attacks particularly dangerous, as the attacks are often stopped high on the pitch and the ball brought forward quickly, usually by either of the wings. WE ARE NOT RETREATING, WE ARE ADVANCING IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION or TACTICS Denmark plays a variation of the 4-4-2, more of a 4-4-1-1. Jan Heintze at left back, and Jes Hoegh and Rene Henriksen in center are certain of starting. The right back position is going back and forth between Thomas Helveg and Soeren Colding. Unfortunately, Helveg is best in the midfield and Colding is often on a totally different page from the rest of the team, a page with lots of high balls into nowhere. Earlier in the season, Ole Tobiasen of Ajax held that position and would today as well had he not been seriously injured, effectively ending his season and if he's not careful, his career. The central midfield is a bit more open. Allan Nielsen had a certain first team spot earlier the season, but lack of playing time at Tottenham saw him drop out in favour of Brian Steen Nielsen. At the same time, an injury to Soeren Colding saw Thomas Helveg moved down to right back, leaving an opening in midfield, an opening that Stig Toefting capitalised on, firmly entrenching himself in midfield. Now, with Colding back and Allan Nielsen getting regular playing time in Wolverhampton, the competition in center is fiercer than ever. Totally unlike the wings, in fact, which sees Jesper Groenkjaer in the left and Martin Joergensen in the right sure of starting every match. Experiments with Michael Schjoenberg in left and Bjarne Goldbaek in right have not born fruit, and in Schjoenbergs case, almost killed the tree. In attack, both Ebbe Sand and Jon Dahl Tomasson have to play very badly to slip out of the starting position. Even with fierce competition from Miklos Molnar, Mikkel Beck and Soeren Andersen, and perhaps from Danish Superliga top scorer Peter Lassen, the Sand/Tomasson team have been working very well. Molnar, Beck and Andersen, and perhaps Lassen, are all capable of playing the Joker role, though, being thrown in the last half hour to run the tired defenders ragged. Denmarks starting 4-4-1-1 will probably look something like this: |
| Sand |
| Tomasson |
| Groenkjaer | B. S. Nielsen | Toefting | Joergensen |
| Heintze | Hoegh | Henriksen | Helveg |
| Schmeichel |
| BANZAI!
or STRENGTHS The coach: Swede Bo "Bosse" Johansson has taken Denmark to the World Cup quarter finals and now to the European Championships by having faith in his players and not letting age be a factor. Despite their young ages, both Jesper Groenkjaer and Martin Joergensen are first team regulars. Despite a disasterous backpass in the match in Copenhagen against Italy, Jesper Groenkjaer was given several other chances. Despite the lack of first team playing time in Chelsea, Jes Hoegh is still a regular in the central defence. Having a coach that trusts his players so, leaves the players free to play the best their can, instead of playing with the fewest possible mistakes out of fear of losing their place on the team. The fans: Always ready to share a beer with fans of any country, always ready to cheer on the Danish side, always ready to belt out the Danish national anthem, the Danish Roligans, which translates roughly into Easygans, are the perennial 12th man of the Danish side. Adding to the friendly atmosphere outside the stadium and shouting support for their side inside the stadium, the Danish fans have given the Danish side an incredible energy boost time and time again. The underdog role: Being penned as the weakest side in Group D(eath) fits Denmark just fine. With no serious expectations placed on them, they are free to just play soccer, against a team that has been told repeatedly that they "ought to be able to beat Denmark". Denmark would like nothing better than to once again play the lead in a fairy tale story, one as might be penned by H. C. Andersen, of an underdog team winning it all in the end. BONSAI! or WEAKNESSES The coach: As good it is for a coach to have trust in his players, it can be taken too far, and has. Jes Hoegh has played only 3 first team games for Chelsea so far in 2000, and while he does train with some of the best players in the world, with the hectic schedule in England, the first team players do not take the training that seriously. Hoeghs lack of match fitness was apparent in the friendly match against Portugal, where Luis Figo scored the winning goal after getting past Hoegh with little trouble. Despite this, Johansson refused to substitute Hoegh for Verona's Martin Laursen. He ended up substituting midfield work horse Stig Toefting and moving Hoegh up to a midfield place he has shown little flair for, to let Martin Laursen play central defense. The same scenario took place during the game against Sweden, again despite a lacklustre performance from Hoegh. Another player who has benefitted from trust taken way too far has been Kansas City attacker Miklos Molnar. Despite not having played for then club Sevilla for 5 months, Molnar was still chosen for the Portugal match ahead of Danish Superliga topscorer Peter Lassen. Former national player Soeren Andersen of OB, and lately Mikkel Beck now of AaB, have also been selected ahead of never-capped Lassen, despite playing in the same league and having scored fewer goals than the Silkeborg striker. Other odd decisions from Bo Johansson have been his unwillingness to select Superliga players for the national team, even for test matches, and his decision to write off HSV's Thomas Gravesen as too psychologially unstable to play for the national team based on one incident. Lack of offensive minded backup players: Jesper Groenkjaer is good enough to be a regular feature on the Ajax left wing. Martin Joergensen is playing so well for Udinese that he has been mentioned as a possible signing for Real Madrid. But what if either of those are injured? Bosse Johansson have experimented with Michael Schjoenberg (Kaiserslautern) in left midfield and Bjarne Goldbaek (Fulham) in right midfield. Both experiments have failed, the Schjoenberg one spectacularly so. The only other offensive minded midfield player that seems in the picture is decidedly out-of-favour Sunderland player, Carsten Fredgaard and Bolton's Claus Jensen. An injury to either Jesper Groenkjaer or Martin Joergensen would be a massive blow to Denmark's Euro 2000 hopes. The official song: Take a bad comedy group, making jokes that can only be called jokes because of the laugh track. Take away the one member that might actually be funny, with plenty of training and a new supply of jokes. Add plenty of crudeness, bad music, and name the group after a bad nickname for a rectum. Does it sound like the sort of group you would want to make the official Euro 2000 song for your national team? No? Well, the Danish football association thinks it does. For some reason. David Tiemroth leda@vip.cybercity.dk |