Åge Hareide is looking forward to meeting Finland, but warns against thinking that the fins are three safe points.
Fodboldlandstræner Åge Hareide is looking optimistic on Denmark’s opportunities in order to move on from the EM-group with Belgium, Russia and Finland, but he warns against believing that Denmark’s european championship opening game against Finland is three secure points on the account.
It says Norwegian on a telephone from Bucharest, where the draw took place on Saturday evening.
– We have a belief that we can go further. On our best days we can Klasbahis play with any team, and we must be in our group.
– But we should not share the victories out in advance. We must prepare ourselves for the tournament, and we need to be very focused in every fight, for they are all crucial for how the tournament goes for us.
– Much depends on our opening game against Finland, for it determines how the path is to move on. Either we come to a very good start, or we come under a lot of pressure. So it becomes a very interesting opening, says Åge Hareide.
He knew even before Saturday’s draw, that Belgium and Russia would be in Denmark’s group, while it was uncertain whether the last team was Wales or Finland – and that was Finland, verdensranglistens number 58.
– Belgium is number one in the world, Russia was in the semi-finals at the WORLD cup, and we also went ahead at the WORLD cup, so it is a very strong group, we are plunged. Finland is also a strong team that can cause problems.
– Finland is a new team at the highest level. I have not seen them play so many matches, so I don’t know them as well, so we are going to study them in detail now.
– I know that they have played a good qualification, and they have shown great tactical strength in their fights, plus they also have some individualists who are skilled. So it is a team, we need to look at with the utmost seriousness, says Åge Hareide.
He shall appoint, among the other skarpskytten Teemu Pukki as one of Finland’s strong cards.
The two best teams in the group go ahead, while the best four threes across the six EM-groups are also going on. At the european championships in 2016 got all gruppetreerne three or four points.
– I think that the same can be enough to go further this time, says Åge Hareide.
As part of the draw was Denmark gruppeprogram also determined. Denmark opens against Finland, then waiting for Belgium, and in gruppespillets last round Russia is the opponent.
Hareide is fine satisfied with the program, but also stresses that the main draw was already won last week, when Denmark secured their home ground in all three games.
– Who would probably not have been the difference if I were to put kampprogrammet. Maybe I would swap the matches against Russia and Belgium, so we ended against Belgium.
– But in essence, I am glad that we have gotten all three matches on their home ground, and we start against Finland. So I’m very pleased with how it has gone, says the national coach.
When the draw was also drawn a decidedly dynamitgruppe, when France, Germany and Portugal ended up in the same group.
If Denmark wins its group, is number three from dynamitgruppen a potential opponent for Denmark, depending on how the other groups are progressing.
In that case it will not be any significant advantage for Denmark to win its group, but there is no reason to think about now, says the national coach.
– We must not take the sorrows in advance, and there may also come a surprise. But if we win the group and meet a team from the group, so we must look at it at the time, says Åge Hareide.
/ritzau/
