Gareth Southgate’s England were poor once again as they were held by Denmark in a dull 0-0 draw in Copenhagen on Tuesday night.
The personnel in the Three Lions’ 3-4-3 saw them struggle in the opening period, with the hosts undoubtedly the superior side.
The visitors improved following Mason Mount’s arrival on the hour mark, but they failed to work any clear-cut openings before Harry Kane had his effort cleared off the line by Mathias Jorgensen after Andreas Christensen misjudged Kieran Trippier’s ‘thump’ in behind.
Let’s get into some player ratings from what was a pretty drab international fixture.
Kasper Schmeichel (GK) – 6/10 – Did he actually have to do anything?
Daniel Wass (RB) – 7/10 – Dynamic, energetic and offered a threat in the final third. Diligent defensively and aggressively tracked Raheem Sterling’s movement into the half-space.
Mathias Jørgensen (CB) – 7/10 – Pretty inactive on the night but superb bit of last-ditch defending denied Kane late on and bailed out his centre-back partner.
Andreas Christensen (CB) – 7/10 – Attempted to assert his authority against Kane throughout and impressed in their battle. Error in the dying embers almost cost his side, however.
Robert Skov (LB) – 7/10 – Dangerous left-foot was only teased from set-piece situations and failed to hit the mark when crossing opportunities opened up down the left. Nonetheless, Skov – like Wass – impressed defensively, with his aggression thwarting Jadon Sancho for much of the contest.
Christian Norgaard (DM) – 7/10 – A fine debut. Aggressive in duels and comfortably protected Denmark’s centre-back pairing. Was also tasked with dropping behind England’s first line to aid his side’s build-up from the back.
Thomas Delaney (CM) – 7/10 – Typically industrious in the middle of the park, astute positioning helped shun the opposition’s counters and was instrumental in Denmark’s impressive work out of possession – especially in counter-pressing situations.
Christian Eriksen (CM) – 6/10 – A quiet night for Denmark’s star, but the sequence in which he left Eric Dier for dead before teeing up Kasper Dolberg with a perfectly weighted pass was vintage Eriksen. Spurned the best chance of the night late on.
Yussuf Poulsen (RW) – 5/10 – Served as a wide target-man almost. Caused problems late on but was rarely involved for much of the contest. Defensive work can’t be overlooked.
Kasper Dolberg (ST) – 6/10 – Held the ball up well at times and led Denmark’s fierce press from the front. Spurned two of their better chances on the night, however.
Martin Braithwaite (LW) – 6/10 – Bright drifting in from the left and posed a threat to Jordan Pickford’s goal. Worked profusely to deny threat of Trent Alexander-Arnold at the other end as well.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6/10
Rasmus Falk – N/A
Simon Kjaer – N/A
Jordan Pickford (GK) – 7/10 – Rarely tested despite Denmark having their fair share of efforts on goal. Erratic in possession but made a superb save to deny Dolberg in the opening period.
Joe Gomez (CB) – 7/10 – England’s best defender on the night. Looked at home as an exterior centre back where he was granted more time in possession and impressive recovery speed allowed him to cover ground expertly and deny the hosts when Alexander-Arnold was caught high upfield.
Conor Coady (CB) – 6/10 – A promising debut for the Wolves skipper who defended stoutly throughout in a familiar role. Inconsistent in possession, though, and failed to deliver penetrative passes into England’s inside forwards with requisite ‘punch’ to bypass Denmark’s savvy midfield.
Eric Dier (CB) – 5/10 – Saw plenty of the ball but position meant he was able to do little with it. Rarely progressed play and often looked inside for safe option – understandable. Had similar passing issues to Coady, although there was the rare example of a beautiful switch of play. Looked the most vulnerable of England’s backline throughout.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (RWB) – 6/10 – Served as a primary outlet on the night with his aggressive positioning but the work of Denmark’s wingers ensured he wasn’t handed the desired room to wreak havoc with his supreme crossing ability. Was bright, though, and teased his threat on occasions.
Kalvin Phillips (CM) – 6/10 – A nervy debut from the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ who wasn’t helped by being partnered with an almost identical profile in midfield. Struggled in possession early but settled nicely and certainly improved in the second period. Tenacious as ever.
Declan Rice (CM) – 5/10 – Similarly proved himself not to be a double pivot midfielder. Showed off his ball-winning prowess on occasions but didn’t impose himself on the contest at all. Poor angles when the visitors attempted to build-up which contributed to England’s progression woes.
Kieran Trippier (LWB) – 5/10 – Had the tough task on playing on the left flank and it was no surprised he struggled.
Jadon Sancho (RW) – 5/10 – Another disappointing night for the Borussia Dortmund star, who was substituted on the hour mark after failing to make any sort of impact.
Harry Kane (ST) – 5/10 – Isolated and starved of service for the most part, but was lax in possession when the ball did fall to his feet and wasn’t able to make the most of albeit limited sights of goal.
Raheem Sterling (LW) – 6/10 – Movement into half-spaces was smart but too predictable – mainly due to the horrible dynamic England had down their left-hand side – but enjoyed a better time of it following Mount’s introduction as space started to open up between Denmark’s lines.
Mason Mount – 7/10
Jack Grealish – 7/10
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – N/A