[ad_1]
Having aimed for a perfect week, England endured a gloomy old night, especially Harry Maguire and whoever was watching.
The defender’s red card in the first half was only the main thing that went wrong in the 1-0 loss to Denmark, which undid some of the progress of the win over Belgium, and will no doubt leave Gareth Southgate disappointed. Rather than making three wins out of three to build momentum, England saw different problems accumulate.
The only bright spot of the night was Reece James’ performance, but even his performance was affected by a red card after the final whistle, and his move to right-back indicates an ongoing question for Southgate. At some point you will have to make a difficult decision between three and four in the back.
Perhaps it summarizes the futility of this group of internationals that does not feel much closer to that decision. Actually, there may be more questions, especially about the Jordan Pickford and Maguire locations.
Even those who have generally had good weeks with England, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Kalvin Phillips, couldn’t have much of an impact on this sad affair.
It’s difficult to know which was worse: the game or Maguire’s night.
At least the middle half didn’t cost England a goal. That was the best that could be said, but he wasn’t on the field long enough either.
Two fouls ended that at 32 minutes. While the second, at Kasper Dolberg, was a more debatable reserve, Maguire was probably lucky that the first, at Yussuf Poulsen, wasn’t a straight red.
He was so reckless and reckless that it has been a troubling part of his game lately, but ultimately still misplaced.
Regardless of what you think of Maguire’s overall quality as a defender, this is not a true reflection of him as a player. It’s so much better than this, and we’re at that worrying point where, above all else, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him.
It was felt signaled that as recently as Sunday, Southgate spoke about the boost to his confidence that was such a solid display against Belgium. That reflects its shape. This will only have eroded it.
You could say that you have to get him out of the line of fire, but not in the way that happened here.
Jordan Pickford is another cornerstone of England’s defense these days, looking a lot less robust and was all over the place during the play just before Denmark’s penalty.
However, he couldn’t exactly be considered to be at fault for the decision. In reality, it is difficult to know who was responsible or why it was given.
None of this bothered Eriksen, who overlooked Pickford.
Thereafter, the game became even more thankless for England, and it was even more difficult to see the meaning of this extra match.
Having tried experimenting with an unexpected lineup and another three-man defense, Southgate was forced to go four in the back, and practically watch Denmark have the ball for much of the game. That was the inevitability of the situation, which made it so much less instructive.
It was still telling that England’s best chance came from one of those Southgate set pieces and a second header. He hit a corner, Declan Rice crossed again, and Mason Mount pulled off a brilliant save, and probably game time, from Kasper Schmeichel.
England will always have that, but the permanent question is whether they can ever develop much more.
He feels like there has been a slight regression since he raced at the 2018-19 pace. Doubts about midfield are at the center of that, as well as one of the connected debates: Mount or Jack Grealish.
The latter only offers unpredictable wit, compared to the productivity more conditioned by Mount’s academy.
A lot went through the Chelsea playmaker in this game, but England were struggling to find some rhythm even before the red card.
It added to a night where you would have a hard time finding positives, and one that mitigated those of the previous days.
