Harry Kane gave England another fast start at Euro 2024, scoring it the 18th minute, but the captain was substituted off in the second half as the team faded. England coach Gareth Southgate removed his forward line in a triple substitution with 25 minutes to play.
Denmark leveled in the 34th when Morten Hjulmand fired in a powerful low shot from long distance, after Kane gave away the ball in defense. The Danes made England look ragged in the second half, attacking the end from where English fans’ anxiety and jeers increased late in the game. England has four points from two games, after edging past Serbia 1-0 in its first match.
That points tally always has been enough to advance in the 24-team Euros format. Still, England can finish in any position from first to third in the Group C standings after playing unbeaten Slovenia next Tuesday.
Slovenia drew 1-1 with Serbia earlier Thursday, four days after getting the same result against Denmark. Serbia and Denmark also play Tuesday evening.
Gareth
Southgate must make hard choices after abject England struggle to draw with
Denmark
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 Gareth Southgate has currently made this team so much less than the sum of their parts.
The biggest
problem is in midfield, which admittedly isn’t new and has been the 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?
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