A first-half Danish penalty condemned England to their first home defeat in two years. Not since against Spain in September 2018 have England lost on home turf, but this time their problems were self-inflicted and need rectifying ahead of two upcoming international tournaments in the space of 18 months.

Gareth Southgate warned that the discipline of his players must improve after England were shown two red cards for the first time ever in a match during the one-goal defeat to Denmark. Harry Maguire lasted no more than half an hour as two yellow cards saw him off, then Reece James was shown a red card after the final whistle for abusive language.

Ill-discipline is costing England

Not only have England’s players been causing their own problems on the pitch but also off it too. Southgate has already seen eight players miss matches for off-field discretions over the past 12-months. This is something that must be addressed. This group are not hell-raisers, in fact they are one of the most promising cohorts in a generation, but the ‘good citizen’ principles that Southgate has tried to instil are ebbing away.

On the pitch, Maguire’s short evening was a disappointment. The Manchester United captain has not started the season in good form, while his team’s performances having also been left wanting. But with the three lions on his chest, a jersey that propelled him to the nation a few summers ago, his lacklustre showing persisted. In short he didn’t look comfortable for those 30 minutes, but it were the poor tackles that saw him off.

 

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Firstly, a studs-up challenge on Yossuf Poulsen after five minutes then a late tackle on Kasper Dolberg was enough for referee Jesus Gil Manzano to bring his torrid evening to an abrupt end. Clearly Maguire needs to sort his head out and no one should ever kick a man whilst he’s down. What was more disappointing was James seeing red for foul language post-match after being England’s best player during it. Having gone six years without a red card, England have now had three in four competitive matches with Kyle Walker also sent off against Iceland last month. Something is amiss.

James and Mount the best of the bunch

It was a shame for James’s evening to finish as it did, for he was the home side’s best player. Just behind Mason Mount on the right flank, James was influential in England’s attacks. Most of Southgate’s team’s play came down that side with James never afraid of curling in a cross.

Playing as a wing-back gives the Chelsea defender license to cut in slightly and also charge to the byline. The relationship that Mount and James showed is clearly rooted in Chelsea, where they have both honed their craft under Frank Lampard. If an England goal was going to come then it was from the fruitful right.

The problem for James is that Southgate has an abundance of right backs to choose from. Walker was playing on the right of the three-man central defence whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold remained on the bench. However, given that James was only drafted into this squad because of withdrawals, it is testament to the work he has been putting in on the training pitch that he started against Denmark ahead of Alexander-Arnold. Time will only tell where James’s position is in Southgate’s mind.

Southgate’s system needs more oomph

It is rare for national teams to have to play three matches in one short international break during the season. It led to Southgate needing to swap and change his starting selections so to not burn out players when the season has only just begun. It means that we have seen three quite different teams in Englands three matches.

 

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The problem arises, though, when Southgate attempts to play players out of position so gaps are plugged. Marcus Rashford was thus used as more of a left midfielder than part of the forward line. Dominic Calvert-Lewin came off the bench and also played down the left rather than the central role at which he is adept. Similarly when England needed more of a thrust in the second-half to cancel out Christian Eriksen’s penalty, Jack Grealish was left on the bench whilst Jordan Henderson came on to sit next to Kalvin Phillips.

There are plenty of questions surrounding Southgate’s set-up but it does appear that he is once again wedded to the 3-4-3 system. At the moment, needs must in relation to giving players a rest and not over-burdening them but a settled side must emerge from the chopping and changing if England are to reach their goals at next summer’s European Championship.

Denmark settled and assured

By the end, Denmark weren’t exactly holding on for what was a famous victory at Wembley, but they had retreated and afforded England greater space. Yet before that the Danes played well. They were, as expected, fairly compact without too many star names but still with players who knew their job and took advantage of England’s off night.

Walker’s foul on Thomas Delaney, shortly after Maguire was sent off, was given as a penalty but appeared harsh. The panic that was evident between Walker and Jordan Pickford no doubt stemmed from Maguire’s dismissal and the backline’s nervy start to the match. Still Eriksen pounced, scoring the spot-kick on what was his century appearance for the national team.

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