[ad_1]
Harry Maguire’s season of horror continues. It has been a nightmare off the pitch, with the story of his misadventures in Mykonos well told, and it hasn’t been much better as he has struggled to keep pace and confidence at Manchester United.
Any idea that he could build a bit of momentum in the England colors after his solid showing in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Belgium was shattered by a red card in the first half that marred this League tie tie. Nations from the point of view of his team and led to a disappointing defeat.
After Belgium, Gareth Southgate had said that “the best teams support great results through consistency.” This was not what he had in mind. Maguire was lucky not to get an instant red card for a nasty fifth-minute challenge on Yussuf Poulsen (he got away with yellow), but he couldn’t make the most of the suspension.
He looked like a man who couldn’t handle the ball or his situation and his evening ended in the 31st minute when he took a bad touch to set up a 50-50 challenge with Kasper Dolberg. Maguire came in first, winning the ball, but his clumsy and heavy following saw him catch Denmark’s center forward. Once again, it looked bad.
England were the architects of their own downfall, and Denmark’s goal was another black mark in a growing collection of them for Jordan Pickford. The keeper charged from his line in an attempt to tackle a ball from the right, but only managed to scare off Kyle Walker, who was trying to deal with Thomas Delaney. Walker seemed to hesitate and then challenged, catching Delaney after the Denmark midfielder had touched the ball first. There was contact, although it was a mild pity. Christian Eriksen marked his 100th international game with a nerve-free conversion.
The night was notable for an unwanted piece of history, with England picking up a second red card in a single game for the first time. It was Reece James who lost his composure after the final whistle, the feeling that the referee, Jesús Gil Manzano, had been against England overwhelmed the 20-year-old and made him direct a barrage of verbal insults in his direction.
Southgate had given James his full debut, starting as a right back and moving him to right back in the shakeup after Maguire was sent off. He had been the best player in England (the short list was not very long) throwing a series of dangerous crosses in the first half hour. This was a wholesale stain from his notebook.
England fought with 10 men and had their moments in the second half. Mason Mount pulled off a fabulous save from Kasper Schmeichel with a header and in injury time Conor Coady thought he had tied a Harry Kane cross just for Simon Kjær, who also made it to a century of games with Denmark, to pass smuggling to the line.
Southgate’s team might have deserved something for the heart they showed, but the harsh truth is that no team can make the kinds of mistakes they did and escape punishment. Indiscipline is an emerging theme for Southgate, particularly after a string of indiscretions off the field this season, beginning with Maguire’s in Greece and followed by those of Phil Foden, Mason Greenwood, Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho. Walker was also sent off against Iceland in September.
The Fiver – Sign up and receive our daily soccer email.
The referee infuriated England with some of his decisions, and not just that of awarding the penalty. He whistled a pair of soft fouls and, when Kalvin Phillips appeared to win the ball in a 69th minute tackle on Poulsen only to be penalized with a free kick, Southgate lost his cool on the touchline. Manzano came over to annoy him.
Southgate wanted his players to show more attacking cunning, to address the lack of creativity and incision that has undermined much of his game this season. They fell short again. With much gnashing of teeth between sections of the fanbase, Jack Grealish was again an unused substitute and while England advanced on the right before Maguire’s ejection, Mount’s final ball was too often bad. Meanwhile, no one could react when James complied.
Where was Kane? Was the captain fit enough to do the necessary runs? He did not look like himself. He was slow to lead the press, which is unusual, and when Southgate made the changes in the 72nd minute, Kane took off his bracelet and clearly felt like he was about to leave. The technician left it on for the 90 minutes.
Kane had an opportunity for England in the first half, and was unable to get a power shot from close range after Mount touched Declan Rice’s ball over the inside. Maguire’s red card changed everything.
Mount’s opportunity came in the 66th minute after Rice headed into a corner (Schmeichel’s reaction took his breath away), while James approached with a free kick and Coady could have taken a late turn. Denmark, however, should have scored a second. Daniel Wass stole inside Walker but launched a header and substitute Pione Sisto fired weakly at the break.
