Denmark were relatively unconvincing in their 1-1 draw against Slovenia in their opening group game of EURO 2024, however one thing caught the eye – their attacking throw-ins.
As soon as the Danes won a throw-in in the final third of the pitch there was a clear strategy. The following routine was well planned and executed and led to Christian Eriksen’s goal, as well as leading to 2 other shots in the game.
Player profiling was key to this routine being effective. The 9s; Hojlund and Wind, are physically strong and robust and therefor able to hold off and pin the CBs to create space in the box. The 10; Eriksen, is highly intelligent and spatially aware and was able to time movements off the blindspot of his opponent to good effect enabling him to get the wrong side of the defender.
Below I take a deeper look at the 3 throw-ins which directly led to shots at goal, including Eriksen’s goal.
1. Create a passing lane to throw into the 9
Denmark’s positioning from final 3rd throw-ins was extremely deliberate with the fundamental idea was to create a direct passing lane into the 9.
Within their 3-4-1-2 shape, there were 4 key players. The 9 pinning the defender, the second 9, the 10 (Eriksen) and an 8 (Hjulmand). The throw-in taker (Wing Back) was tasked with throwing the ball into 9 who pinned the defender in the box.
The vacuum of space was created by deliberately leaving Eriksen deep, as well as positioning the second 9 and the 8 away from the 9 receiving the throw.
As you can see from the screenshots, Denmark often had one player come short which attracted Slovenia’s Full Back, and as a result increased the space between Slovenia’s FB and CB. This created a vacuum of space for the 9 to pin the CB with clear sight of the ball.
2. Pinning action by the 9
As mentioned above, Denmark’s positioning was a clear method to create as much space as possible for the 9 to receive. Hojlund and Wind are both physically strong and are comfortable playing with their back to goal.
As you can see in the supporting images, both strikers are adept at blocking their opponent by using a strong arm and fixing their bodies. In addition to this, they showed a level of awareness to find the 3rd man (Eriksen) with a
well-executed flick on.
A key factor which allowed the 9 to successfully pin the defender was that they adopted a low centre of gravity to “anchor” into the ground, in order to retain their balance and prevent their opponent outmuscling them. Both of Denmark's strikers did this very effectively.
3. Blind spot movement
Another key aspect to Denmark creating these chances was the well timed blindspot movement of the 3rd man, often combined with a “double movement” to create separation from their marker.
As with all set pieces, it’s incredibly difficult for the defensive marker to watch both the man and the ball, and Denmark exploited this to good effect.
Due to Eriksen’s deep starting position, he gave himself lots of room to move into and subsequently made it difficult for the defender to mark him. By starting deep and outside the direct line of the opponent, he increased the blindspot space and prevented his marker from controlling him physically.
We also saw from Wind in the first example, with his marker unable to watch both man and ball. Wind made a double movement to dart inside to receive the throw in.
As well as using the blindspot advantage to allow the 3 rd man to attack the box, Denmark also positioned their
ball-far Wing Back in an effective way to remain unmarked. By starting him deep, he is able to react easily to the angle of any clearance, and his opponent also had a big space to cover. This led to LWB, Kristiansen, shooting after a failed throw in routine.
In summary, Denmark’s use of clear principles in a well-executed manner allowed them 3 shooting chances and 1 goal against Slovenia. You would expect England to be prepared for this, but their 3rd man combinations from attacking throw-ins are definitely something to be wary of on Thursday.
Article by Oliver O'Connell, Oli is a Senior Recruitment Analyst with 3 season’s experience working in Belgium’s Pro League.
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