If Gareth Southgate has already warned his players to ignore criticism, he’s going to need to lock them away in Erfurt after this. This was a 1-1 that meant a lot more than failing to win this match. It raises the biggest questions yet over whether England can even come close to winning this tournament. Almost nothing about the team works right now. If that seems harsh – given they have four points and are still on course to top the group – it is about how Southgate has currently made this team so much less than the sum of its parts.
The biggest problem is in midfield, which admittedly isn’t new and has been a long-term issue. The concern is how Southgate has so far compounded it. Why persist with the Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment, when it obviously didn’t work? Why keep him on at half time, only to change it minutes later?
Southgate then himself veered drastically from that hesitancy to an unusually bold move. He hauled off the entire front three of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and – most amazingly – goalscorer Harry Kane.
There may yet be echoes of Graham Taylor taking off Gary Lineker at Euro ’92, depending on how this tournament goes. A lot needs to change. Much bolder moves are going to be needed, and Southgate is going to have to stop being concerned with leaving out some of his biggest names. A balanced, integrated team is much more important.
That was what was so significant about that decision to take off his frontline. It was an admission that the long build-up to this tournament hadn’t worked. Coaches don’t usually make moves like that because it is too jarring for a team’s tactical ideal. The obvious question from that is “what tactical ideal”?
Southgate was seen pointing to his head after Denmark wasted yet another late chance, telling his players to concentrate. He has a lot of thinking to do.
The Danes, meanwhile, should only reflect on a wasted opportunity. They could and should have won this game. They were that superior, especially in basic structure.
Even England’s goal showed that in its own way.
It was almost like Denmark were so in control that Victor Kristiansen got complacent, but Kyle Walker’s alertness should also be praised. With the Leicester City defender inexplicably laboured, what could have been an easy pick-up near his box saw Walker just bundle him off the ball. The right-back just surged through to try and clip the ball back for Kane. It eventually made its way through after a bounce, for the striker to hit his first of the tournament, and one of the easiest he’ll get.
It just didn’t get any way easier for England. It was instead much harder. They of course retreated in that way they always do, while Denmark were sparked into something more. They looked something more, despite notionally inferior players. The performance showed how dependent England were on reacting to and countering Kasper Hjulmand’s team. Southgate’s were only ever looking to get into the gaps left in the Danish structure, but they were becoming fewer and smaller.
One of the most striking contrasts between the sides was how there always seemed to be these swathes of space between England’s midfield, while Denmark’s worked in these tight triangles. It was like there was always Danish pass on within five yards. With England, the gap between players could be anything at any given moment.
Denmark had been threatening for some time when he evidently felt Southgate had enough warning. Morten Hjulmand let loose a low drive that just whistled through the air and in off Jordan Pickford’s right post. It was no more than Denmark deserved.
Southgate had to change something, and surprisingly gave the midfield experiment another eight minutes before introducing Conor Gallagher for Alexander-Arnold.
One question was why he didn’t make the change at half time. A bigger question was why he persisted with the formation despite the evidence of the Serbia match.
Gallagher’s first intervention was crucial. He cleared a ball that looked set to drop for Denmark just yards from goal.
It still wasn’t enough. Although Foden had hit the post from yet another individual moment, there was no more coherence to England’s play.
Southgate then went for his boldest move yet, hauled off his whole front three.
As desperate as that seemed, though, some logic was still discernible. Ollie Watkins offered the runs in behind that Kane couldn’t. Jarrod Bowen offered crossing and sudden breaks. Eberechi Eze offered more direct dribbling and long shots.
Any one of them could of course have done something, but it was what England were reduced to.
It looked so small and insignificant, compared to what a side like Germany are doing.
Football history has made fools of those who hastily write off a struggling team in the group stage, and England do still have four points to stay on top of the group.
What can be said for certain, however, is that England need almost everything to improve. One of the few positives was Marc Guehi. That is something else England are reduced to: looking to the performance of young stand-ins.
England didn't look like stepping up to be champions. They barely looked like a functioning team.
