What will Christian Eriksen's absence mean for Denmark at Euro 2020?

The midfielder is likely to miss the remainder of the tournament after collapsing on the pitch in the game against Finland.

The world of football was sent into collective shock when Christian Eriksen collapsed during a UEFA Euro 2020 game on June 12, 2021. The incident took place during Denmark’s opening game against Finland in the 43rd minute. The referee Anthony Taylor quickly stopped play and called in medical professionals, who performed CPR on the field and saved him.

The midfielder regained consciousness before the medical team took him to a nearby hospital for further examination. Thankfully, the former Tottenham Hotspur player responded well to the treatment and requested his teammates to go ahead with the game. The match resumed after a brief suspension, which saw Finland secure victory over the Danes by a solitary goal.

Christian Eriksen will most likely not play a part in the remainder of the tournament. The midfielder is one of the most crucial figures in their squad. He shoulders the responsibility of creating opportunities for the forwards. Eriksen is also particularly dangerous with his set-piece accuracy.

Emile Hojbjerg missed a penalty in the game against Finland and in normal circumstances, Eriksen would have been the designated penalty-taker for Denmark. 

Given that Eriksen is most likely going to remain absent for the rest of the tournament and rightly so, what does that mean for Denmark and their chances?

The Orchestrator

Christian Eriksen is a mainstay in the midfield for Denmark. He can play in a No.10 role behind the strikers or as a wide midfielder in a three-man midfield. He also drops deep to influence the play with his distribution.

There is a lack of backup options in the squad to fill in his shoes. The Danish outfit created several scoring opportunities, attempting 22 shots (six on target) against Finland. However, they were half-chances, as the team missed Eriksen’s quality in the final third. 

The Inter Milan player has 36 goals in 109 games, ranking second in the list of all-time leading goalscorers for Denmark. In the last 10 matches, where Eriksen played the full duration of 90 minutes, Denmark only lost on two occasions, both to Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. 

Performance in European Qualifiers

The 29-year-old was particularly impressive during the Qualifiers leading up to Euro 2020. He featured in all eight games and had nine goal contributions (five goals and four assists). Furthermore, Eriksen took four penalties for Denmark during the 2020/21 season and had a 100% conversion rate. Hojbjerg’s miss against Finland was the first penalty miss for Denmark in the 2020/21 term. 

Even though Eriksen had a less impressive season for Inter Milan, he still plays a central role in the Danish setup. Eriksen has a passing conversion rate of 86.4% in 48 appearances for club and country.

His influence in midfield will be sorely missed. Mathias Jensen replaced Eriksen, but the Brentford player could not have a similar effect on proceedings.

The upcoming game

Denmark's next game against Belgium could bring elimination for the Dynamites if they lose the tie. Christian Eriksen has played with players like Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Romelu Lukaku from the Belgian squad. His insight into their gameplay could have been vital to produce a positive result. 

Coach Kasper Hjulmand must motivate his men to go all out against the World No. 1 side. Danish players showed incredible strength and unity to resume the match against Finland after Eriksen's health crisis and will be spurred on to produce a win for their missing star player. 

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