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Ben grounds
England drew 0-0 with Denmark during the Nations League match in Copenhagen
Last Updated: 08/09/20 11:46 pm
5:43
Gareth Southgate explains the changes he made to England in the 0-0 draw with Denmark in the UEFA Nations League and gives his thoughts on the players who made their debut.
Gareth Southgate has defended the use of his 3-4-3 formation as his weak England team struggled to a 0-0 draw in Denmark.
The Three Lions were put through a boring Nations League stalemate at Parken Stadium on Tuesday as Southgate’s team wrapped up a turbulent international break.
England were left without Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden, who returned home after Saturday’s win in Iceland after breaking COVID restrictions.
Wolves defender Conor Coady looked serene during his England debut
“We have learned a lot,” Southgate said. Sky sports. “We tested a new system in which we will improve considering everything we have had to deal with: 10 withdrawals for various reasons.
“So we felt like we wanted to start out stable – we could have probably been a bit higher with the attack threat in the first half, but we were in control and given the stage of the season the players are in, that was really important.
“It was not a game in which we were going to be able to press high for 90 minutes in such a physical way that it also influenced the formation we played.”
3:10 Highlights from the UEFA Nations League Group A2 match between Denmark and England.
“We have to think about how we can develop the system against some of the higher quality teams because against the lower nations that we have played, the 4-3-3 works very well. It loses a bit of the attacking threat in terms of All 8 of us played, but we seem very solid defensively, which is a great platform to build on.
“The options we had to play a 4-3-3 tonight weren’t going to last 90 minutes and this was the best way to refresh the team but also to look at something different.
“In the second half we started to speed up the game with some of the changes that we felt we were in control of. Putting Mason [Mount] midfield made us more progressive and Jack [Grealish] he did the same.
“Ainsley [Maitland-Niles] I thought I did very well, so I was very satisfied with the players who debuted, I thought Conor Coady was excellent and Eric Dier has had two excellent games as a central defender for us so the three today were very solid. “
A distraught Kane watches his injury time shot clear the line
England had more balance in midfield when Mason Mount was introduced by Jadon Sancho at the hour mark, and Southgate admitted that it took a while for Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice to establish themselves as a central pair.
The move was made to inject some urgency, and it almost paid dividends when Mount groomed Kieran Trippier for an attractive cross that was spearheaded by Kane.
England continued to look for the breakthrough with the addition of the more progressive Jack Grealish, but the lack of naturally left-handed players on the wing held back the attacks while Denmark held off the visitors.
1:57 Conor Coady says it was a moment he will remember for the rest of his life after making his debut for England in the goalless draw against Denmark.
Southgate, however, doesn’t believe the deadlock is the result of playing right-handed players out of position.
When asked about the lack of a naturally left-handed option, the England coach replied: “Where is that player? I keep hearing that argument, but I think Kieran has had two great games for us.
“Of course a player on the left side gives you that balance, but Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw are injured, while Danny Rose is not really involved with the Spurs right now.
“We adapted in the best way we could. I think the whole group has shown incredible resilience, as we had numerous injuries and numerous [coronavirus] tests. We had a lot of players who had been in quarantine and players with only a few minutes of training and minutes of play, so we knew it would be incredibly difficult to put it all together.
“But we are in a position where we can go back to Wembley and the group is in our hands.”
Whats Next?
England host Wales in an international friendly on October 8 at 8pm before facing Belgium at Wembley in the Nations League on October 11 (kickoff is at 5pm).
Gareth Southgate’s men will host Denmark at 7.45pm on Wednesday, October 14. The Danes will face the Faroe Islands on October 7 in a friendly and Iceland in the Nations League on October 11 before their trip to London.
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