Euro 2012 Team Guide: Denmark

Road to Euro 2012

Denmark have a better team going into this European Championship than they did when they shockingly won Euro 92. Back then, Denmark's greatest ever player Michael Laudrup wasn't in the squad after a falling out with his coach and Peter Schmeichel was the only player who could legitimately be called world class. Back then it was spirit which got them through, but I fear that this time round it is their awful draw which could put paid to their chances. Not just the Netherlands and Germany, but Portugal as well, and while the Danes can tell themselves that they twice beat Portugal in qualifying, do they really believe that they can get out of the ultimate group of death. They deserved better than this after a brilliant qualifying campaign which saw them brush Portugal to one side and claim the automatic place which hadn't looked likely beforehand. They're not to be written off as they showed some serious quality in qualifying, but they face a major task.

The Manager

Morten Olsen has been in charge of the Danish team for 12 years now, and he carries the authority which goes with that kind of longevity and such a storied playing career. He's in his 12th year as coach of the national side, and comes with the legendary status that befits the man that won over 100 caps. He has been sacked from every single one of his managerial jobs, and yet has found his niche as a cajoler and motivator. When you consider the mess that he inherited from his predecessor Bo Johannson back in 2000 then you have to admit that he has done a terrific job. He has signed a contract which will take him to the 2014 World Cup, and knows that a group of players as gifted as this deserve to have at least a shot at a big title.

The Star

I'm yet to be fully convinced about Cristian Eriksen, but too many good judges think he's the second coming and so I should bow to opinions of people that I trust and nominate him as Denmark's star. He only turned twenty in February, and so maybe it's a little premature to be too judgemental, but the Ajax man plays as if he knows he is good, and I wonder sometimes if he could learn a little more, and pose a little less. He has experience of playing in a World Cup (he made two substitute appearances in 2010) which should help him cope with expectation, but I fear that he may be one of those highly rated players who disappoints. He thrives on the space that he gets when he's playing for Ajax, and there won't be too much of that available at Euro 2012. For all my worries, though, he still has to be the star.

The Rock

WIlliam Kvist has been an unsung hero this season at one of the most entertaining clubs to watch in the Bundesliga, in the shape of Stuttgart. He was an unused substitute in South Africa, but appeared six times in qualifying and appears to have cemented a place in the heart of the midfield. The way that Stuttgart go about things in forward areas must be a nightmare for a holding player, and yet Kvist did a quiet and useful job, and with less gung ho players around him here, he'll be a solid success.

The Youngster

Once again the youngster is older than the star, but Eriksen simply had to be the latter from a Danish point of view and Simon Kjaer's form this season for Roma means that he's a long way from being a star at the moment. He's important though, and worth a mention. I thought Kjaer was wonderful prospect in his time at Palermo, and was slightly surprised to see him sign for Wolfsburg, when there seemed to be so many other, bigger, clubs who were interested in him. He still shows in flashes the organisational skills and defensive calmness that made him so exciting, and he'll be fully aware that he has a big chance of impressing some of Europe's top clubs with a sterling display against some of the most feared forwards around: could have a brilliant tournament, but I have a nagging fear that he'll look a little out of his depth. If he fails, then I don't see Denmark having a chance.

The Bet

All logic dictates that Denmark will be going home after the group stage and if I'm being honest then I'm struggling to make a case for them knocking out Portugal, as well as Holland or Germany. Having beaten Bento's team twice in qualifying, there's no reason why they can't do so again, but Germany will surely be too good, and I was there in Soccer City two years ago when the Dutch made the Danes look a class below. With all of that in mind, a third place finish seems like the best they can hope for. There's mileage, then, in laying them to finish bottom of the group, at the attractive price of 1.654/6.