England's Southgate Calls for Improvement After Denmark Draw

England’s manager Gareth Southgate acknowledged midfield struggles at Euro 2024, noting the absence of a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips. Despite drawing 1-1 with Denmark, England leads Group C and remains poised for the last 16. However, Southgate’s side, as in their previous win over Serbia, failed to control the game effectively and deliver their best performance.

Phillips, crucial to England’s Euro 2021 run, was left out due to struggles at West Ham and Manchester City. Jordan Henderson, influential in England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final run, also missed selection at age 34. Trent Alexander-Arnold, renowned for his attacking role at Liverpool, partnered with Arsenal’s Declan Rice in England’s midfield.

However, he was substituted early in the second half due to England’s difficulties. Conor Gallagher of Chelsea came on as his replacement to bolster the team’s performance. Reflecting on Alexander-Arnold’s performance, Southgate commented, “He has had moments where he has performed as expected. It’s an experiment – we lack a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips. Currently, our flow is not as desired.”

Harry Kane opened England’s scoring in Frankfurt at the 18th minute, but Denmark equalized with Morten Hjulmand’s long-range strike. Despite FIFA rankings favoring England by 16 places, Denmark controlled much of the second half, with England hitting the post. England couldn’t find a winning goal that would secure an early knockout stage qualification.

“We understand there’s disappointment with our performances, and rightfully so – we need significant improvement,” Southgate stated in an interview with BBC One. “Currently, our ball possession isn’t up to standard, and if you’re not careful with it, you’ll suffer, as we did. We know there’s another level we need to reach.”

Southgate, overseeing his 97th match as England manager, felt his team lost possession too easily. “There’s extensive work ahead, evident from our performances in these two matches – clearly not what we had hoped for,” he added. “We faced teams operating fluidly in a back three, making it challenging to apply pressure. However, we certainly need to perform better than we have in these two matches; that’s been part of the issue, along with our inability to maintain possession.”

Reflecting on tournament football’s challenges, England captain Harry Kane remarked, “We knew there are no easy games in tournament football, and that’s proving true. We have levels we can reach and areas for improvement both with and without the ball. A sign of a good team is getting results even when not playing our best. While there may be disappointment back home, we experienced this in the last Euros with a draw against Scotland, yet reached the final.”

England, led by defender Kyle Walker, aims to secure first place in their group by facing Slovenia in Cologne. Walker expressed confidence in their offensive and defensive capabilities, emphasizing their unbeaten record and determination to advance in the tournament. Kyle Walker, a seasoned winner with Manchester City and Champions League experience, highlighted that England’s manager promotes a style of free-flowing, attacking football.

He emphasized that success in tournaments isn’t about easy wins but requires consistent effort and performance. Despite expectations for dominant victories, Walker acknowledged Denmark’s strength and the challenges of tournament football. Denmark, after drawing both their Euro 2024 matches 1-1 in Germany, can advance by defeating Serbia in Munich.

Christian Eriksen felt Denmark outperformed England, creating chances they should have capitalized on, emphasizing the need for a win against Serbia to progress.