Absent from major tournaments for six years, and without a knockout victory in a World Cup or Euro for the last 20, Denmark return to the international spotlight in Russia, their qualification sealed with a thrilling Christian Eriksen-inspired play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Eriksen, in his World Cup prime at 26, is evidently the main man in a squad short not only of tournament pedigree – especially since the injury-enforced absence of revitalised long-serving striker Nicklas Bendtner – but also of star quality. If Denmark are to get through their group for the first time since Euro 2004, they will probably have to discover a new talisman or two to share the burden of the Tottenham midfielder.
A meticulous study of the international careers of the 23 players chosen by coach Äge Hareide has revealed some fascinating titbits of information, which you can discover below.
I am compiling similar information on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. Several other surveys are already on the site.
Here is the Denmark squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals:
Goalkeepers
Jonas Lössl (Huddersfield Town, 1/0), Frederik Rønnow (Brøndby, 6/0), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City, 34/0)
Defenders
Andreas Christensen (Chelsea, 15/1), Henrik Dalsgaard (Brentford, 10/0), Mathias ‘Zanka’ Jørgensen (Huddersfield Town, 12/0), Simon Kjær (Sevilla, 77/3), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich Town, 3/0), Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese, 12/1), Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Mönchengladbach, 16/1),
Midfielders
Thomas Delaney (Werder Bremen, 26/4), Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur, 77/21), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Deportivo La Coruña, 57/6), William Kvist (FC Copenhagen, 79/2), Lukas Lerager (Bordeaux, 3/0), Lasse Schöne (Ajax, 35/3)
Forwards
Martin Braithwaite (Bordeaux, 19/1), Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta, 18/4), Kasper Dolberg (Ajax, 5/1), Viktor Fischer (FC Copenhagen, 18/3), Nicolai Jørgensen (Feyenoord, 30/8), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig, 27/3), Pione Sisto (Celta Vigo, 13/1)
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 592. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup and Euro matches) is 308. The number of caps gained at final tournaments is 18. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 4.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 60. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 36. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 2. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is 0.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 17. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 20.
There are 6 survivors from the Euro 2012 squad: Schmeichel, Kjær, Eriksen, Krohn-Dehli, Kvist and Schöne.
There are 3 survivors from the 2010 World Cup squad: Kjær, Eriksen and Kvist.
Kjær, Eriksen and Kvist are the only players in the 23 travelling to a third final tournament.
Kjær and Eriksen have played the most final tournament matches: five (both two at the World Cup, three at the Euro) and are the only two to have previously taken the field at the World Cup, with Kjær the sole player to have started a World Cup finals match.
Although Schmeichel was in the Euro 2012 squad, he has yet to make an appearance at a final tournament.
Two squad members have never played a competitive international: Lössl and Knudsen. Krohn-Dehli is the only other member of the party who made no appearances in 2018 World Cup qualifying.
Four players have appeared in over 25 competitive internationals. Their records are as follows:
Kjær – Pld 45 W22 D12 L11 (of which at final tournaments Pld 5 W2 D0 L3)
Eriksen – Pld 43 W21 D10 L12 (Pld 5 W1 D0 L4)
Kvist – Pld 40 W20 D11 L9 (Pld 3 W1 D0 L2)
Krohn-Dehli – Pld 31 W16 D9 L6 (Pld 3 W1 D0 L2)
Five players in the squad are yet to lose a competitive international: Stryger Larsen (W5 D1), Dalsgaard (W4 D1), Rønnow (W3 D0), Dolberg (W2 D1) and Lerager (W1 D0)
Eriksen is the squad’s leading scorer in competitive internationals, with 12 goals, and is the only one in double figures, with Delaney and Krohn-Dehli next in line on four apiece. Eriksen also leads the way on World Cup goals with 11 (in 24 appearances), with Delaney the next best on four (in 13).
Krohn-Dehli, who scored twice at Euro 2012 (but has not registered again for Denmark in any international since), is the only squad member to have found the net at a final tournament.
Denmark have never lost a competitive international in which Eriksen has scored – a total of nine matches (eight wins, one draw).
Kjær and Eriksen were the only two squad members who started all 12 2018 World Cup qualifiers, with Eriksen alone in having been on the field for every minute. Delaney also appeared in all 12 games, two of them as substitute.
Eriksen was Denmark’s top scorer in 2018 World Cup qualifying with 11 goals from a team total of 25. Seven other players found the net, with Delaney scoring four times (including a hat-trick away to Armenia) and Cornelius and Nicolai Jørgensen twice each.
Eriksen has played twice each against Group C opponents Australia (L0-1 and W2-0) and France (L0-2 and L1-2), all in friendlies. Kjær and Kvist have faced France twice and Australia once. Schmeichel also started in goal, with Nicolai Jørgensen coming off the bench, in both games against Les Bleus.
Only three of the 23 players operate in the Danish Superliga – two with FC Copenhagen and one with Brøndby. No fewer than seven of the other 20 ply their trade in England, with three each based in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain and two apiece in France and Italy.
Huddersfield Town, Ajax and Bordeaux are the only clubs other than FC Copenhagen supplying more than one player to the squad (two each).
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