Woeful England lacked fluency and cohesion in 1-1 draw with Denmark

The good news is that England did not lose. The bad news is everything else.

A 1-1 draw against Denmark edged them closer to the round of 16 but if they play anything like they played in the Waldstadion, that will be the limit of their participation in this European Championship.

England were woeful in the sultry heat of early evening. They were outplayed almost from start to finish by the Danes. It is hard to think of a single player who emerged with credit.

England were sloppy in possession, they lacked fluency, they lacked verve, they lacked confidence, they lacked cohesion. They looked clumsy and basic beside their technically accomplished opponents.

To add to that, Gareth Southgate’s plan to play Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield alongside Declan Rice appears to be in ruins. Alexander-Arnold is a quite brilliant passer of the ball but he has been largely ineffectual in an unfamiliar role.

When Southgate withdrew him after 53 minutes here and replaced him with Conor Gallagher, it felt as if the England manager was cutting his losses. He was getting out before it was too late.

Whether Alexander-Arnold starts another match in this tournament in midfield remains to be seen but Southgate was ruthless in the selection of his squad and it looks as if he will have to be ruthless here.

It was a fine plan in theory but it has not worked yet and tournaments do not provide time. Southgate acted because England were in danger of being overrun.

No one was safe last night. England skipper Harry Kane put England ahead but he was substituted in the second half, too. So was Bukayo Saka. So, too, Phil Foden, although Foden was perhaps England’s best player. It was not a high bar.

Now England have to gather themselves. They are top of Group C and even if they lose to Slovenia in their final game in Cologne, it is unlikely they will be eliminated. But that kind of talk is a far cry from the optimism that accompanied them when they flew to Germany.

England had made an uncertain start. Alexander-Arnold was nutmegged in the first minute, Kyle Walker lost his footing over and over again and had to change his boots, and Kieran Trippier gave the ball away.

But after 13 minutes, England got their first glimpse of an opening. Walker, rebooted, slipped a pass inside to Foden and Foden span sharply, made space for himself in the box and then lifted his left-foot shot just too high. It was a welcome hint of the Foden we are used to.

Five minutes later, England were ahead. Victor Kristiansen was so busy shepherding a ball away from Bukayo Saka on the Denmark left that he did not see Walker hurtling past him on his blind side.

Walker stole the ball from him, advanced towards the goal-line and whipped a cross into the box. Saka prodded at it and it squirted loose to Kane, who had the simple task of sliding it low past Kasper Schmeichel into the bottom corner from a few yards out.

But Denmark remained undaunted. They continued to play the better football, they kept the ball better, they looked more confident and more fluid. Christian Eriksen was, as usual, at the core of everything they did.

Denmark deserved an equaliser and ten minutes before half time, they got one. Kane received the ball under pressure at a throw in deep in England’s half and hit the ball infield blindly.

Denmark pounced on it and when it was moved straight to Morten Hjulmand 30 yards out, he took a touch and then let fly from 30 yards. The shot was beautifully and ferociously hit and it arrowed beyond Pickford’s despairing dive and in off the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

England were being outplayed. A minute before the interval, Hojlund held the ball up well on the edge of the England area and laid the ball back into the path of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg whose curling shot was on target but well saved by Pickford.

Many wondered if Southgate might withdraw Alexander-Arnold at half-time and accept that the experiment was not working. 

He did not and Alexander-Arnold played one superb long ball over the top of the Denmark defence to Saka that Saka nodded over Schmeichel but into the side-netting.

It was Alexander-Arnold’s last contribution. Eight minutes after the break, the fourth official raised the digital board and Alexander-Arnold’s number was up. He was replaced by Conor Gallagher. It may be that he does not start another game in this tournament.

England seemed to respond immediately. Foden danced through midfield and smashed a low drive past Schmeichel but it cannoned off the base of the post and Saka could not force home the rebound.

Southgate made more changes midway through the half. Foden gave way for Jarrod Bowen and Eberechi Eze and Ollie Watkins came on for Saka and Kane. England were still trying to wrest control of the match.

Bellingham produced one brilliant pass to free Watkins but Watkins delayed a fraction too long before shooting, the angle got tighter and his effort was well saved by Schmeichel.

Denmark nearly snatched victory three times in the space of two minutes as the clock ticked down. Marc Guehi was sold short by a pass from Declan Rice and lost the ball to Alexander Bah but as Bah bore down on goal, Guehi recovered superbly and blocked his cross.

Andreas Christensen should have scored from the resulting corner but he leaned back when the ball fell to him six yards out and his shot cleared the bar. 

As England tried to play the ball out from the back, Walker gave it away and Hojbjerg curled a shot just wide of the post.

So England finished the game clinging on, grateful for a point. They left looking like beaten men. It is time to rip it up and start again.