Trust the key to Denmark success, says coach Hjulmand

STOCKHOLM : Denmark head to the World Cup aiming to upset the bigger nations using a mix of intelligence, trust in each other and flexible tactics, team coach Kasper Hjulmand told Reuters.

When Christian Eriksen collapsed during his side's first Euro 2020 group game against Finland in June 2021, few would have expected them to reach the tournament semi-finals before cruising through qualification for Qatar.

Widely praised for his handling of the emotional rollercoaster of Eriksen's collapse and subsequent recovery and return to football, Hjulmand has steered his side with a steady hand.

"For me, it's all about the quality of the players and then put the team together in a way so we can compete in different ways against different opponents," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"When I analyse national team football, I think what we are trying to do is on the collective side and the tactical side, to always have something to do in the matches, so we have some different ways of playing."

Hjulmand revealed that his side often shifts tactics and formations several times during games against teams like France, whom they beat twice in the last Nations League campaign and will meet again in Group D in Qatar.

"At the Stade de France, we played in one system for a while, no matter what happened, (then) we decided to switch and it gave us new positions and something to think about for the opponents," Hjulmand said.

"We try to play dominant football, but against the best we know we have to defend a little bit more than against other countries. But to be able to win, you have to be good at not only one part of the game, you have to be a more complete football team, and that's what we're trying to do."

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