Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Group C - Denmark v England - Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt, Germany - June 20, 2024 Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand reacts REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach MUNICH - Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand's decision to go with a 3-5-2 formation at Euro 2024 has squeezed out old-fashioned wingers beloved by the fans such as Andreas Skov Olsen, the latest in a long line of tricky Danes who love to hug the touchline. Assistant coach Morten Wieghorst told Reuters before the tournament that he expected Skov Olsen to be one of the jokers in the Danish pack at the finals but the 3-5-2 set-up has seen others preferred, much to the frustration of the 24-year-old. "I always want to play, that's why I'm here, but I can also see that it's difficult for us wingers with the tactical system we have played so far," Skov Olsen told reporters.
"It's about being ready if the coach changes system." Denmark drew their first two Group C games against Slovenia and England 1-1, with Skov Olsen getting a run in the 82nd minute against the latter - his first appearance in the tournament. Hjulmand's switch from Denmark's traditional, swashbuckling 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 formations of the past, featuring wide men like Jesper Olsen, Brian Laudrup and Dennis Rommedahl who took on their direct opponents, is rooted in two main causes.
The first is a poor showing at the Qatar World Cup that continued into the Euro qualifying campaign, which heaped pressure on Hjulmand to tighten up the defence. The second is .
