Denmark it is.

Discussion in 'Ireland' started by Samarkand, Oct 17, 2017.

  1. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    No bad teams, but Denmark are probably the weakest of the 4 seeded teams, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland.

    The FAI would have bitten your arm off up to your arse to get Denmark and to your bellybutton for Switzerland.

    Believe we’re home for second leg, so about as good a draw as there was.

    (N. Ireland Switzerland, so the gods seem to smiling on the whole island).
     
  2. pmannion

    pmannion Member
    Staff Member

    Apr 13, 2001
    Newfoundland
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Yes, as good a draw as we could have hoped for. The Danes will be favourites, but playing at home second leg is key for Ireland. Like vs Bosnia last time out, I'm hoping we can snatch a 1-1 draw at Parken. That would set us up for a massive night in Dublin!
     
  3. pmannion

    pmannion Member
    Staff Member

    Apr 13, 2001
    Newfoundland
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    One of Denmark's key men this campaign has been Tommy Delaney, who is apparently of Irish-American extraction.
     
    Samurai Warrior repped this.
  4. world soccer magazines

    Oct 31, 2016
    Best draw possible.

    Still, Denmark beat Poland 4-0 at home so no easy task.
     
  5. Ceres

    Ceres Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Club:
    AGF Aarhus
    Nat'l Team:
    Denmark
    #5 Ceres, Oct 17, 2017
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2017
    Denmark has been in a transition .... In 2016 the new Danish NT coach was doing experiments, trying to implement several young talented players (like Kasper Dolberg, Jannik Vestergaard, Viktor Fischer and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg) who really did not quite seem ready for it, and he was also trying out different styles of play, like playing with only 3 defenders to see what would work best ... at that point in time Eriksen was also quite terrible for the Danish NT because he did not really have a free role in the team, but everything was suppose to go through him ...

    This all changed before the decisive Poland game ... the coach and experienced top players had a meeting, where they made a final agreement on how to play in the future and Eriksen got the free creative role he had wished for and this all worked perfectly in the 4-0 trashing of Poland ... too late to win the group though ...

     
  6. Ceres

    Ceres Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Club:
    AGF Aarhus
    Nat'l Team:
    Denmark
    #6 Ceres, Oct 17, 2017
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2017
    Danish key players are ... keeper Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester)... CB and NT captain Simon Kjær (who scored for Sevilla in Champions League yesterday) ... Danish/Irish/American attacking midfielder Thomas Delaney who has been selected for the Bundesliga 'Team of the Week' several times this past season and also as Bundesliga 'Player of the Week' inspite playing for a mid-table Bundesliga team ... and this is typical for the Danish NT regular starters at the moment ... they do not play for the absolute top teams in England, Spain or Germany, but they are regarded to be absolute key players for their teams.

    Obviously the creative Star player for Denmark is Christian Eriksen .... but you should also watch out for Pione Sisto, who is the highly creative assist king and key player for mid-table Spanish La Liga team Celta Vigo ... the only real Danish "weakness" is strikers ...

    Nicklas Bendtner
    is not quite what he used to be, though he is the top-scorer in the Norwegian League for Rosenborg, but obviously the Norwegian league is not that good ... Nicolai Jørgensen was the top-scorer in the Dutch League last season, but is also not really a top-4 league striker ... Andreas Cornelius is very physically strong and has recently moved to Italy and Atalanta in Serie A, but so far he is not a regular starter ... Yussuf Poulsen is playing for a top team in the German Bundesliga, but is not a regular starter either ... then we have a very young Kasper Dolberg, who is a huge talent, but he is in a bit of a scoring-crisis for Ajax so far this season ... the other possible strikers we got (Martin Braithwaite, Kenneth Zohor and Lasse Vibe) are playing in the English Championship and are not regarded to be quite good enough for the Danish NT at this point in time ...
     
  7. Dyvel

    Dyvel Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    The dog end of a day gone by
    Club:
    Leeds United AFC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    The Swiss only missed out on automatic qualifying because of goal difference. They only lost one game.
     
  8. Ceres

    Ceres Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Club:
    AGF Aarhus
    Nat'l Team:
    Denmark
    The Danish FA have called the Swedish FA and cancelled the womens WC qualifying match with Sweden this Friday. saying they are not able to field a team due to an unsolved conflict between the Danish FA and the Danish players union, where they have not been able to come to an agreement.

    In the end, it's UEFA who has the final word. Deadline is noon tomorrow when team squads have to be submitted. ... but the Danish women are on the other hand still training for the match and seem keen on playing ... so this is quite a mess ... what is the Danish FA going to do if the women actually show up for the match ? ... and how will FIFA then punish the Danish FA, if they deliberately keep the women from playing a WC qualifying match ? ...

    According to German media, it could end up with a FIFA exclusion of all Danish NT's for up to 6 month as punishment ... including the Denmark v Ireland play-off games ..
     
  9. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    The choice was Switzerland, Croatia or Italy. No easy draw, but if you avoid Italy and Croatia, you’re doing OK.

    Regarding the Swiss group, there was really only Portugal and Hungary and Hungary did sweet FA. Switzerland won and lost 2-0 against Portugal.

    I’m not sure how much heft I put in WCQ groups anymore as a guide for quality for elite teams - England won 8, drew 2, conceding only 3 goals, but I’m not sure they’re going to do much next summer.
     
  10. Ceres

    Ceres Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Club:
    AGF Aarhus
    Nat'l Team:
    Denmark
    Well ... Greece wanted Denmark as first priority of all ... the Swedish players and experts were hoping for Croatia ... or Switzerland ... but not Italy .. and with Denmark being worst possible option ... obviously Sweden were hoping for Croatia because they finished second in their group behind Iceland, which is proof that though Croatia like to attack (and at least on paper) have several star players, they are quite poor tactically and as a team, so they would have be the dream choice for a solid defensive minded counter-attacking team like Sweden ... but they dont fear Italy as much as Denmark ...
     
  11. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    As I said, no easy draws; none of the 4 qualifiers are. While they're not all 50/50, no seed or non-seed is overwhelming favorite.
     
  12. pmannion

    pmannion Member
    Staff Member

    Apr 13, 2001
    Newfoundland
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Final squad is confirmed. Walters, McCarthy, Richard Keough, and Sean Maguire are all injured.

    Meyler is suspended for the first leg.

    I read today that Jorgensen, Kjaer, and the two Brentford defenders are all injury doubts for Denmark. Kjaer would be a huge loss for them.

    Irish Squad:

    Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Colin Doyle (Bradford City).

    Defenders: Cyrus Christie (Middlesbrough), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Paul McShane (Reading), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), John O’Shea (Sunderland), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley).

    Midfielders: Aiden McGeady (Sunderland), Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady (Burnley), Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), David Meyler (Hull City), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O’Kane (Leeds United), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Callum O’Dowda (Bristol City), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion).

    Forwards: Shane Long (Southampton), Daryl Murphy (Nottingham Forest), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Aiden O’Brien (Millwall)
     
  13. malby

    malby Member+

    Liverpool FC
    Republic of Ireland
    May 11, 2004
    Rep of Ireland
    Club:
    Drogheda United
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Hendrick and Ward are serious doubts :(
     
  14. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    Then again, Croatia are 4-1 up on Greece early in the second half.

    So glad we avoided them.
     
  15. pmannion

    pmannion Member
    Staff Member

    Apr 13, 2001
    Newfoundland
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Starting XI: Randolph; Christie, Duffy, Clark, Ward; Arter, Hendrick, Brady; McClean, O'Dowda, Murphy. Always a surprise in O'Neill's teams!
     
  16. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    #16 Samarkand, Nov 13, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2017
    Not a game for the purist, perhaps, unless that purist is a student of defensive systems and denying your opponent space and time. Some time ago, O'Neill made the point that he's in the results business, not the entertainment business; in football, the two often do not coincide. As it was in Copenhagen. For both sides.

    Denmark started with a tried attack - long, raking cross field balls, pressurizing the full backs and covering wingers. I suspect the reason the balls went cross field and not straight down the wings was to try to confuse and worry the midfielders with balls over their heads and behind them, getting them to run out of position, thereby clearing a palette for Eriksen in the centre. But credit to O'Neill, he kinda saw that one coming and while Christie in particular gave a few palpitations, the team held its shape and that Danish attack eventually wilted.

    Playing through the centre was a quagmire for the Danes as Ireland just clogged, hurried and hustled all night. There was no real man-to-man marking - if anyone has the courage to re-watch the game, watch how often the Irish defending was hunting in packs of two or more, rather than one-to-one. This was especially true of Eriksen and few Danes had a night filled with anything other than frustration. Also, as comfortable and patient as it is to build from the back, this was a nicety that Ireland largely eschewed, especially in the first half. A free or half free ball in the last third was an invitation to the nearest Irish player to audition for the rugby team. As hard, as far and as long an agricultural clearance as is possible was the order of the day. Murphy must have had whiplash watching the ball fly so high over him so often. Yes, the ball always came right back, but in the meantime, the defence had reset, ready for the next wave.

    By about the 55th minute, the Danes had played themselves out and, Eriksen or no, were bereft of ideas as to how to unpick the Irish lock. One of the the Danes said post match that it was like trying to open a can of beans with your hands. And once the Danes reverted to essentially route 1 football, Ireland's 0-0 was always safe. Granted Randolph made a few very timely interventions - not every plan and alignment goes without a few hitches - but in truth by the final whistle, if 0-0 was not going to be the result, Ireland were almost as likely to nick it as the Danes.

    It was up to Denmark to make the running and score, they were the home side; Ireland's remit was to keep it tight, don't let them score, nick a goal if you can. The stats do tell that story - Denmark only managed 5 shots on target, Ireland, 2. Which is about what would be expected at this level. But 5 shots with 72% possession is a testament to Ireland's defence rather than Denmark's attacking prowess.

    Dublin will be a different game, largely because of away goals. No doubting that Ireland cannot and will not sit as deeply and play the same game again - O'Neill has spoken of the need for creativity in the Irish ranks. I imagine Wes Holohan will get a run out - don't know if he'll start, but he'll see minutes. Ireland don't necessarily need to take the game to the Danes - I see Eriksen being more of a threat because the Irish defensive stranglehold will not be as tight - but they do need to push the Danish midfield back onto the back four more and the cannot cede the entire Danish half.

    I've always seen this playoff as exceptionally tight and, much like our Northern brethren, I think one goal wins it. Hopefully it's not a dodgy penalty for them. No problems at all with a dodgy one for us. :)
     
  17. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    1-0 Sweden over Italy. I'm not sure many expected that, even most Swedes. I certainly didn't.

    Still, Croatia excepted, and allowing for the fact that our second leg is still to be played, these playoffs are progressing as a World Cup Final - ultra defensive with both sides terrified to make a mistake. (Though someone forgot to tell Greece).
     
  18. Father Ted

    Father Ted BigSoccer Supporter

    Manchester United, Galway United, New York Red Bulls
    Nov 2, 2001
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    The first game was excruciating to watch so hopefully we play better tonight. No idea how it goes, it's a funny old game as someone once said but hopefully the boys in green will squeeze out a win.
     
  19. PARS

    PARS Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jul 3, 2007
    Austin, TX
    Club:
    CF Rayados de Monterrey
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Any streams gents? Mexico rooting for you.

    /p
     
  20. Dyvel

    Dyvel Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    The dog end of a day gone by
    Club:
    Leeds United AFC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Not going well.
     
  21. Father Ted

    Father Ted BigSoccer Supporter

    Manchester United, Galway United, New York Red Bulls
    Nov 2, 2001
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Comical defending at times. Erickson got an easy hat-trick.
     
  22. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    So strange from O'Neill, tactically clueless.
     
  23. Dyvel

    Dyvel Member+

    Jul 24, 1999
    The dog end of a day gone by
    Club:
    Leeds United AFC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    A tad embarrassing.
     
  24. Samarkand

    Samarkand Member+

    May 28, 2001
    Naaaw. I think “embarrassing” has and had long since left the room.

    2-1 at the half was bad but not irretrievable. If Ireland reverted to suffocating football. But when I saw McGeady and Holohan for Meyler and Arter, it was so obvious that Eriksen was going to have the freedom of Dublin. And O’Neill usually doesn’t make those type of mistakes. With 2 goals needed and 45 minutes of football, balls out to the wall was not what was required.
     
  25. Ceres

    Ceres Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Aarhus, Denmark
    Club:
    AGF Aarhus
    Nat'l Team:
    Denmark
    Unlike Sweden, Denmark always refuse to play defensive minded at youth and senior NT level in hope of getting results ... and though it took some years with a missed Euro and WC, though easilly qualifiyng for the U-21 Euros two times in a row, there is no compromise and this is exactly why we got an Eriksen and a team that now has made it and will be worth watching in the future to come ... but praise to the Irish NT for not just parking the bus but trying push forward to win the game...
     

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