Froholdt sparks outrage in Denmark: “They’re laughing in Portugal” | OneFootball

Denmark’s 2-4 defeat to Portugal in the third round of the Nations League group stage was marked by criticism of coach Brian Riemer’s choices. Bo Henriksen, former Danish striker and coach, criticised Victor Froholdt’s second consecutive absence from the starting XI, while TV 2 considered the FC Porto midfielder’s introduction too late. For Henriksen, the waste is obvious, and he lamented: “It’s a shame for the Danish national team.”

The debate began even before the ball rolled at Parken Stadium on Thursday night and continued after the final whistle. Bo Henriksen, the former Mainz coach, pointed to a tactical problem which, in his view, leaves Froholdt out of the centre of the game and prevents Denmark from making use of what the 20-year-old can offer.

Analysing the midfielder’s positioning when he is used, Henriksen described a player who is often blocked off by opponents and has no passing lanes available.

“You can see that he is constantly in the blind spot. There is always a player [from the opposing team] in front of him. He can never receive the ball,” he explained. “Otherwise, he is on the last line. That’s the problem. His teammates can’t find him.”

The criticism did not stop at the tactical setup. The former Danish striker raised the tone and presented Froholdt’s absence from the starting XI as a missed opportunity for the national team.

“It’s a shame for the Danish national team. He has a lot to offer and is valued at 650 million Danish kroner,” he stressed. “In Portugal, they are laughing because he is not starting today. It’s a catastrophe that we can’t find room for a player like this.”

Henriksen’s diagnosis is harsh: the problem lies not only in how the player is being used, but also in the inability to create a context in which his qualities can shine. Between the bench and the “blind spot”, Froholdt became the centre of a debate that began before the match and gathered momentum with the defeat.

TV 2 returned to the issue after the game, arguing that the midfielder came on far too late. Froholdt was introduced in the 74th minute, replacing Morten Hjulmand, at a stage the broadcaster described as particularly difficult for Denmark.

“Our Portuguese colleagues in the press box nearly fainted when they found out that Victor Froholdt was starting the game on the bench,” it wrote. “He came on at a particularly difficult moment for Denmark and was unable to add any magic. That would probably also have been asking too much of him.”

The reference to the reaction of the Portuguese journalists added irony to the assessment, but did not change the essence of it: with little time and in adverse circumstances, Froholdt was unable to change the game. For Danish television, the initial decision limited any later impact.

Morten Hjulmand, now an Atlético Madrid player, started the match, but he also did not escape a negative assessment. The former Sporting captain, whose move from Alvalade cost €40 million, received the same rating as Froholdt: 4, on a scale from 0 to 10.

“It is difficult to play against players as talented as Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes, and Denmark also came off second best in that midfield duel. Above all because the others were able to make the difference in decisive actions,” the assessment reads. “Hjulmand had none. On the contrary, he struck weakly in two good chances from mid-range.”

The comparison heightened the discomfort surrounding the choices: Hjulmand had more time to show himself, but ended up with the same rating as the Porto midfielder. In the same assessment, Mikkel Damsgaard was considered Denmark’s best player.

The Nordic side thus suffered its second defeat in three Nations League matches, although it remains level on three points with Norway and Wales. On Sunday, Denmark travel to Cardiff to face the Welsh national team, carrying with them not only the need to respond, but also an increasingly intense debate over the space being given to Froholdt.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.