Few would argue that last night’s draw was hard-fought by either team, but the new Danish manager’s first point accompanied a number of other positives in Denmark’s goalless draw against England.
When you thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse …
Described by many onlookers as the worst game of the year so far, last night’s game was hardly a classic. Neither team created many chances of note, nor did they look particularly interested in doing so.
England manager Gareth Southgate expressed his dismay after the game that it was played at all. He believed that, given the delays across Europe in the closing of last season, the Nations League should have been postponed to give players time to rest up.
He cited a lack of match fitness as the reason behind the lifeless performance against Denmark.
Positives for Hjulmand
In contrast, the Danes can come away with a far more optimistic view of their performance. Excepting perhaps the final few moments of the game, Denmark easily had the best chances of the match, and they created more than twice as many chances as their opponents.
Furthermore, the match saw a debut for Brentford player Christian Nørgaard. He put in a man-of-the-match performance and seems to be an instant hit with fans and manager alike.
After a disappointing result against Belgium earlier in the week, Denmark certainly seemed a far more confident and solid team last night – a trajectory they will be hoping to continue throughout the rest of the competition.
Despite failing to score a goal in the competition so far, Hjulmand sounded confident after the game. He stated that so long as it remained possible, Denmark would pursue a finish at the top of their league.
Currently third in the group behind Belgium and England, their next Nations League game is against Iceland on October 11.
